Look My Way or Walk On By
by AutomaticHeartache
Summary: Boarding School Supercorp AU. Kara can't wait to start her first year at Wildlings Academy, with new friends, new challenges, and a new position working for the school paper. Eager to make a name for herself and step out of her sister's shadow, Kara's plans get sidestepped when she finds herself inexplicably drawn to the school outcast, Lena Luthor.
1. Chapter 1: First Impressions

Chapter 1  
First Impressions

Kara lurched forward slightly as the cab crawled to a stop in front of the imposing stone building. She unlatched her seatbelt and pressed against the cool glass, allowing her eyes to trail up the ivy that crept along the stoic red and grey brick. She seemed not to notice as the driver pulled her door open and she tumbled from the cab with the awkward grace of a newborn fawn.

She regained her composure and pushed her oversized black-framed glasses up the bridge of her nose. She straightened the pleats in her skirt and trailed behind the cabbie as he popped the trunk of the car. She made the appropriate show of struggling to wrestle her luggage to the uneven stone drive, huffing convincingly. Super strength had its drawbacks and she was often forced to play the damsel when it came to lugging and carrying things that were, for her, virtually weightless. She paid her fair, tipping the driver more than she probably should have, and leaned against her trunk with a sigh.

For the briefest of moments, she almost regretted not letting Eliza come with her; this was, after all, her first time away from home for any stretch of time. But her sister had been at the Wildings Academy for three years already and Kara was determined to forge her own path – a path that would not begin by being dropped off by her mother.

There were a few other students milling about, unpacking cars and loitering under the lush green trees that dotted the landscape. Kara hefted her luggage up and started her trek toward campus, careful to mimic the strain one might have had they not been endowed with her strength. _It's okay_ , she thought, _no one fits in in high school, right?_ She had a pack on with two large suitcases under one arm and was working at dragging a large steamer trunk with the other, trying her best to appear winded.

Kara trundled across the stone drive, shifting the weight as she had been taught, when she started to feel her glasses slip down the bridge of her nose. She rotated awkwardly and tried to push them back up with the hand holding the two large suitcases when she heard a small snap. One of the cases popped open, enthusiastically ejecting its contents all over the cobbled path. Kara flushed crimson and scrambled to gather everything back into her once neatly organized suitcase.

"Oh gosh, hey, let me help you with that." A voice called over Kara's shoulder as she crouched, clutching at a pair of pajama pants that threatened to escape.

The voice, it seemed, belonged to a boy who couldn't be much older than she. He was short-ish, dressed in earth tones. Well dressed in theory, but sloppy in execution. His short shock of brown hair stuck up in all directions as he started to pick up articles of clothing and hand them over to her.

"First day back. The worst, right?" The boy offered, blushing as he handed Kara a light camisole.

"First day ever. First year," Kara offered, with an exasperated smile, "first everything!"

"Oh man! Well, don't let this be your first impression. I swear, it's generally better than… uh…"

"Your clothes scattering to the wind in front of complete strangers?"

"Yeah that." His eyes crinkled when he smiled. "And we're not complete strangers."

"No?" Kara raised an eyebrow and latched the suitcase, hefting it up under her arm once more.

"No! I mean, we can be if you want," He stumbled over his words, "but we don't have to be."

"Okay, not-stranger, I'm Kara." She extended the hand that wasn't full of luggage and smiled broadly.

"Winn," he smiled back and shook her hand a bit too enthusiastically. "Let me help you with that."

Before she could protest, Winn positioned himself in front of her trunk and started dragging it toward the grounds. He waved awkwardly at other students as they passed and Kara laughed at his zeal.

"So, first year, first year!" He struggled a bit when the trunk caught on an errant tree root. "First-Year-Kara. What made you choose Wildings? Or, as it is for many, what made your parents choose Wildings?"

"Oh, my sister goes here. I've wanted to come since she left home. You know, get out of our small town, gain some serious knowledge, new experiences. The usual, I guess?"

"Your sister, huh? Who's your sister?"

Kara paused for a moment and spoke barely above a whisper, "Alex Danvers."

"What?"

She sighed and spoke at full volume, "Alex Danvers."

"Holy shit!" Winn exclaimed then suddenly backtracked, tripping over his own tongue. "Sorry, sorry. I didn't mean – I just. Alex Danvers? Everybody knows her! She's – she's awesome!"

Kara kept her eyes on her feet as they crossed the threshold of campus and started navigating toward the dormitories. "Yeah. I know."

"Oh man. You lucked out. You'll be cruising here in no time." Winn didn't seem to notice the pained expression on Kara's face as they crossed the main quad. "Just promise, that when you're super cool and hanging out in the inner circle that you'll remember the little guys, okay?"

"What?" Kara almost sputtered laughing.

"You know what I mean."

"Winn, I _am_ a little guy. Just because Alex is my sister doesn't mean that I'm _anything_ like her."

"I didn't mean –,"

"No, it's okay. I know what you mean. But to be honest, I haven't seen Alex much since she came here and I have always fallen a bit short when it comes to the sibling match-up. I doubt she'll want me tagging along. She didn't at home, anyway, always too busy jumping through hoops to worry over her annoying little sister." She took hold of the trunk as they reached the entrance to the girl's wing of the dormitories. "So don't worry, we little guys can stick together. You and me."

"Really? Okay." He broke into that crinkled smile again, "Okay, yeah."

"The welcome dinner is in a few hours, right? Save me a seat." Kara smiled at Winn, and pushed the door open.

"Sure! I mean, yeah. Absolutely!" Winn stumbled, walking backward a few steps before turning to go, still grinning. "See you then!"

Kara crossed to the main desk of the dormitory and after a brusque exchange with the dormitory matron and a ride in what seemed to be the world's most ancient elevator, Kara found herself in the small room that would become her sanctuary for the next several months.

It was a modest size, about the same as her room at home. There was a sizable window on the wall opposite the door, with a twin bed and nightstand tucked to the right and a desk and small, upholstered chair to the left. A corkboard hung on the wall running the length of the bed. There was also a small closet that was nestled into the corner opposite the window. Finally, between the closet and the door stood and a small sink and mirror for which Kara was grateful. The bathrooms and showers were down the hall and all their meals were served in the dining hall, so her room had the bare essentials, but she knew they were more than enough.

Kara tossed the cases on the bed and picked up the trunk with on hand, tossing it after them as casually as if it had been a feather pillow. Privacy was the greatest possible creature comfort she required and in that way, this room was perfect. She busied herself unpacking things here and there, wanting to get as much done before dinner as possible. She paused for a moment when she came upon the framed picture of her family. Her earth family. Eliza, Jeremiah, and Alex crowded around her in the framed print, smiling lovingly. She propped the picture up on the nightstand and centered it, giving it a cursory nod of approval before resuming her unpacking.

* * *

The dining hall was busy, full of students and their parents, swirling about in dizzying spirals of noise and warmth. Kara picked delicately across the hall, careful not to jostle anyone as she looked for Winn. She didn't have to look long as his genial face popped up above the crowd, obviously standing on a bench or chair. Kara watched as one of the professors crossed to Winn and chastised him after yanking him down. He seemed un-phased when she reached him.

"Oh good! You found us!"

Kara laughed, outright, "Kinda hard to miss when you're three feet above the crowd."

"Yeah, Winn's kind of an idiot that way. A whiz with computers, but always forgets to look before he leaps. Or climbs." A tall, good-looking boy with dark eyes and impossibly white teeth smiled down at Kara. Wildings was certainly turning out to be a lot friendlier than she had initially anticipated.

Winn rolled his eyes, "Kara, James Olsen. James Olsen, Kara," he tossed off.

Kara noticed that Winn left off her last name and whether it was intentional or not, she was grateful. "You're a friend of Winn's?" She asked, adjusting her glasses.

"That's generous." James laughed, "I'm his roommate and we sometimes work together for the school paper."

"Work together. Pfft." Winn huffed. "James takes pictures, as if that even counts as _work_."

"Hey man, you're not even _on_ the staff, you just fix things when the network goes down."

"Boys, boys," a feminine voice interrupted their bickering, "You're both valuable assets to the Wildings Gazette." A girl with brown shoulder-length hair and wide eyes cut between the arguing pair and linked arms with James. "Who's the new girl?"

"Oh, uh, Kara." Kara extended her hand and the petite brunette gave it a firm shake.

"Lucy," the girl flashed a smile and elbowed James in the ribs. "The big dumb one's mine." James laughed and pulled Lucy closer to him.

Kara wrapped her arms around herself and smiled in a way she hoped came off as warm instead of self-conscious.

"Oh, hey, there's your sister!" Winn tapped her on the arm and Kara allowed her eyes to float across the hall until the rested on Alex. Through the din of the hall, Kara could hear Alex's laugh; even without enhanced hearing, she could've picked it out of the crowd. Alex's cropped red hair swung as she turned her head, hugging various friends and acquaintances, reunited by the advent of the new school year. Kara silently cursed herself for wishing that Alex would seek her out, but they would have their time later, when her sister wasn't busy and Kara wasn't feeling so ill-at-ease.

"Yep. There she is."

"You're not going to go say hi?" Winn looked genuinely perplexed.

"Nah, she's busy with her friends. We'll catch up later. I mean," Kara forced a laugh, "we have all year, right?"

"Winn looked incredulous, "right."

Kara started to turn back to Lucy and James, but before she did, her eyes fell on a singular girl sitting alone at a far table. There were no swarming students, no reunited friends, no parents anywhere around her. The girl simply sat alone reading from giant tome open on the table. Kara's eyes narrowed. The girl had dark features set against pale skin. Her hair was pulled back into a severe braid that snaked over her shoulder and she wore white-rimmed glasses, which framed focused, intensely green eyes. Kara slid into her seat and Winn plopped down, unceremoniously next to her.

"Who's that?" She motioned to the girl, alone.

"Who her? That's Lena Luthor."

"Luthor? As in –"

"Lex Luthor, juvenile criminal and all-around asshole." James interrupted as he sat across from Kara.

Lucy took the seat next to him. "Forgive Jimmy's bluntness, Lex was here for a while and they never really saw eye-to-eye."

"He kept trying to mess with my buddy Clark. We're the reason Lex got booted from Wildings, or rather him messing with us is the reason. I heard he's in some maximum-security juvenile detention facility now; he got mixed up with some serious stuff after he got kicked out. Lena's his sister."

"Must be lonely." Kara craned her neck and found the girl once more. "I know what it's like to be defined by your family."

"Yeah," Winn echoed. "Even so, I wouldn't be too anxious to befriend a Luthor. They can't be trusted."

Lucy balked. "That's grim, even for you."

"What? I'm just saying that sometimes there's truth to rumor and we should be wary, is all."

"Yeah. I guess." Kara sighed wistfully and turned back to the table as the students began to settle and the evening's presentation got underway.


	2. Chapter 2: Open Circle

Chapter 2

Open Circle

Kara flopped down on her newly made twin bed, exhausted. Dinner had been over for a little while and she finally had some time to herself to decompress after the evenings festivities. Winn, James, and Lucy had turned out to be excellent company and she couldn't believe her good fortune, meeting them her very first day at Wildings. She began to play back bits of their earlier conversation when a soft knock came from her door.

She rose, gingerly and opened the door to reveal her sister standing awkwardly in the hallway.

"Hey," Alex crossed into the room pausing a moment before wrapping Kara up in a sudden hug. "I missed you at dinner."

They separated and Kara adjusted her glasses, a nervous habit. "Yeah, you seemed... busy."

Alex swept her straight, short red hair away from her face. No matter how much each of them grew, Alex always seemed to stand a few inches shorter than Kara. Her eyes were dark and long-lashed and they darted around the room before settling back on Kara.

"Never too busy for you," Alex answered. "You know that, right?"

"I guess? I just didn't want to interrupt you in front of your friends." Kara crossed back over to the bed and sank down. Her gaze found her feet. She felt awkward talking to Alex like this. They had been so close, but she felt far away lately, like they weren't even on the same planet, let alone the same school.

"Kara!" Alex sat down next to her. "Look I know it's probably weird for you right now – being away from home, being here with me after practically three years apart. But I need you to know that nothing has changed."

"Alex, everything has changed!" Kara met her sister's gaze. "I mean, you're – you're a rockstar here! Of course, you were at home too, so I guess that's still the same, but you – you didn't even come _home_ this summer, it was so lonely. And, and everybody knows you here! Except me."

"What are you talking about?" Alex pushed a stray piece of long blonde hair behind Kara's ear and was rewarded with a lopsided smile. "You _know_ me. Who suffered through the battle of the bands with me my freshman year at home? You did."

"I still say N*Sync beats Sleater-Kinney, any day."

"Agree to disagree." Alex laughed, "Who called 911 when I fell out of the tree in our front yard, trying to get that bird's egg for research, and broke my leg?"

"I was so scared! I hadn't even been here that long and I didn't know how to fix you."

"But you figured it out. You signed my cast and hung out with me when I couldn't go swimming because of it." Alex leaned her head against Kara's and sighed. "Look, I know it's been hard with me gone, but now you're here! And these people? They know _about_ me, they don't _know_ me. Not like you do."

"But whenever you were home for breaks, you always seemed too cool for me."

"Oh, I am. Waaaaaay too cool for you." Kara laughed this time and Alex continued, "But that doesn't mean that I don't love you. I mean, yes, you're annoying. You get me into trouble! You're weird – like, you're _literally_ from another planet. And you have _terrible_ taste in music."

"Has anyone ever told you that you suck at giving pep talks?"

"Shut up, I'm not done. Yes, you're all of those things, but the most important thing you are, _Kara Danvers_ , is my family." Alex raised her eyebrows and pursed her lips in a slight smirk, a face Kara knew all too well. "And that means that not only are we stuck with each other, but also, that I'm sort of okay with it."

"I just don't want to embarrass you." Kara tucked her arms around her middle. "And I want people to see me for me, not judge me because I'm your little sister."

"Then don't let them. Just be yourself and they'll sort us out, Kara," Alex tossed off, plainly, wrapping an arm around Kara's shoulder. "Don't make it weird and it won't be weird."

"Right."

"Look, you're sweet and smart and funny. At least you used to be, I mean, it's been a while." Kara laughed and shifted to nudge Alex with her shoulder, "You'll figure it out, you always do. And I'll be here if you need me. Just relax."

"Relax. I can do that," Kara paused, "probably."

"Atta girl." Alex wrapped her in another tight hug and Kara breathed a sigh of relief.

Kara's first day of classes had been a blur so far. She was used to a heavy workload and challenging coursework, but the intensity of her new professors and the competitive nature of her classmates stunned her. She was over halfway through the day, now trotting toward the dining hall where she planned on stress-eating anything she could get her hands on, and already knew she'd be up til midnight with homework.

"It gets easier, you know" James was suddenly beside her, a stack of intimidating textbooks nestled in the crook of his arm.

"What?" Kara started, not expecting the sudden interruption.

"You look like you're in pain." James flashed his dazzling smile and gently tapped Kara's forehead, between her eyebrows. "I know it probably seems like a lot, but you'll get a handle on it."

"I'm not so sure. Do the professors here understand that theirs is not our only class? I have so much reading to do tonight and it's only the first day! Plus a whole mess of problems in chemistry and I am _not_ a fan of chemistry. Not a fan." Kara gesticulated wildly with her free hand, nearly pegging James in the abdomen. "I had a lot of work at my old school, AP and Honors classes, but this is some next-level stuff."

"The professors like to pile it on at the beginning so you understand the workload and expectation right from the start. They'll ease off eventually." Kara expelled a great puff of air and James laughed. "What have you chosen for your physical and extracurricular?"

"Oh, uh, I haven't yet, I guess?" James held open the door to the dining hall and she went in ahead of him. "I was thinking, maybe, self-defense for physical and I submitted a few writing samples to the journalism professor to see if I could get on the school paper for my extra-curricular, but I haven't heard back yet. Oo! You work on the paper! Maybe you could put in a good word!"

"Yeeeeah," James drew out the word longer than necessary, "I don't know if that would do you much good. Professor Grant doesn't really keep anyone's council but her own." Kara deflated slightly, pulling a tray from a nearby stack and scooting along the cafeteria line, grabbing food indiscriminately. "Don't get me wrong, she's great, but she can be a bit... challenging?"

"Well, maybe I can come by today after classes, at least to find out if she got my samples."

"More power to you." James hovered behind her slightly, neglecting to pick up anything from the line.

"Aren't you eating?" Kara was dumbfounded at the possibility that James wasn't hungry; she felt like she could eat a horse.

"Nah, I'm just going to grab a snack and meet some of the guys." He snagged an apple before Kara could shepherd it onto her tray. "Besides, there's not going to be much left by the time you're done here."

"Oh, right," Kara paused before shoving a chocolate chip cookie into her mouth. "Fast metabolism." She said around the cookie.

"Right. Okay, later." James grinned and then he and his apple were gone.

Kara scanned the dining hall for a good place to sit and eat in peace, spotting a secluded space at the far end of the hall at a smaller table with a few chairs huddled around it. If she was lucky, she might even be able to get in a little reading while she ate.

She set her tray down, pulled a book from her pack, placing it next to her tray, and gleefully shoved the rest of the cookie into her mouth.

"It's good to see someone taking advantage of the kitchen staff's hard work."

The hungry blonde almost choked on her cookie as the icy voice floated over her left shoulder. She uncapped her water bottle, careful not to crush it, and gulped it down before turning to face none other than Lena Luthor. Kara swallowed hard and fruitlessly attempted to draw oxygen into her lungs. She tried to casually to rest her arm on the table while gasping silently, and ended up knocking her sandwich into her lap.

"I – I just," Kara stammered, "learning makes me hungry?"

"Then you must have worked pretty hard this morning," the girl nodded toward the small mound of snack cakes at the edge of Kara's tray. "Would you mind terribly if I joined you?"

"Oh, uh, no. Nope. Go right ahead."

"Thanks," Lena strode around the table and took a seat opposite Kara. Even while settling in to eat, Kara noted that the other girl's posture was impeccable – not stiff, but straight and regal – a stark contrast to her own hunched and rounded shoulders. She made a mental note to straighten up a bit.

Kara watched as Lena's long fingers delicately unwrapped a sandwich and momentarily felt very self-conscious about her own less than demure eating habits.

Lena raised her eyes to meet Kara's and smiled unabashedly, which was a bit startling as Kara had, thus far, only seen her drawn and serious. "I just couldn't bear to spend another year eating alone in here, or worse, back at my desk in my room."

"Well, I'm always happy to share my table." Kara returned the smile and fiddled with the edge of some plastic packaging, fretting over the large amount of food on her tray and trying to decide on a plan of attack.

"Well, then you're a breath of fresh air." Lena's smile refused to waiver and Kara couldn't help but feel a bit flush under the girl's attentive gaze. "Oh, I'm Lena, by the way."

"I know who you are," Kara heard the words fall from her mouth before she had a chance to stop them, "I mean, I, uh –," she stammered, hopelessly, eyes wide behind her thick black frames.

"That's alright," Lena almost laughed, "It's to be expected. Though the fact that you know who I am and still invited me to sit with you is fairly remarkable."

"Oh, it's really nothing." Kara ducked her head at the subtle compliment. "And I'm Kara, by the way."

"It's not nothing, Kara" Lena took her hand for a brief moment then, releasing it, fixed her with a look that was both serious and sincere. "When you're a Luthor, people tend to decide what you're about before you even get a chance to speak for yourself. You can imagine that sort of behavior doesn't often lead to too many invitations, what with my family's very public proclivities."

"What is it that you would say," Kara's brows knit and she absentmindedly pulled apart her sandwich and popped a large piece into her mouth. "If people gave you the chance, I mean," she said with her mouth full, her hunger overcoming her hesitance.

"That not all Luthors think alike." The dark-haired girl's gaze fell to her hands for the smallest of moments. "That while I grew up loving my brother for being my protector and advocate, I don't recognize the man he's become." She raised her eyes to Kara's once more, "and I certainly don't condone his actions."

The blonde nodded thoughtfully and they shared a brief moment of somehow comfortable silence.

"I get it," Kara said through another bite of sandwich, all ceremony abandoned. "I mean, not to the same extent, of course. And I don't mean to make light of your situation – "

"Oh, please do. I could use a little levity." Lena bit back through upturned lips.

"I just... I get people making judgments about you based on your sibling."

"Hey!" Alex's voice cut in abruptly and Kara felt a weight on her shoulder.

Kara made a show of an exaggerated eye-roll, "Speak of the devil! Lena, this is my sister, Alex. Alex, Lena."

Lena treated Alex to a polite smile, dimmer, somehow than those Kara had seen so far and extended a silver-ringed hand across the table, "I've heard so many good things, it's good to actually meet you."

Alex looked unsure and Kara tried to convey, wordlessly, that her sister needed to _just be cool_. The message was apparently received as Kara saw the tension drop from the older girl's shoulders and as she took Lena's outstretched hand.

"It's good to meet you too." Alex nodded, "I don't want to interrupt, I just wanted to see how your classes have been so far lately, Kara."

The younger Danvers sister indicated the substantial pile of food on her tray.

"Oh boy, that bad, huh?"

"I just don't understand how they expect one person to do all this work!" Kara started to slip into a rant, but was cut short by the loud SLAP of a tray on their table.

"YOU GUYS," Winn interrupted excitedly as he slid into the chair next to Kara. "They finally have Twinkies this year, but by the time I got there they were already gone! I say we MUTINY."

Kara sheepishly plucked the spongey cake from the small stockpile on her tray and silently slid it toward Winn.

"What? Yes!"

Alex, resigned, lowered herself into the seat to Kara's right and before the end of lunch a few others joined them – Lucy, some of Alex's friends, and a few of Winn's – everyone eating and talking over each other excitedly. Kara caught Lena's eye every so often and was treated to a lopsided smile and raised eyebrow each time that, for some reason, made her blush. Needless to say, Kara didn't get any reading done, but considering how things turned out, she wasn't even upset.


	3. Chapter 3: The First Rule

Chapter 3

The First Rule

Alex pulled her right arm straight across her chest, catching it with her left, and applied pressure until she felt the burn of muscles stretching. She glanced around the room as the other students, every one of them female, filed in.

This classroom, like every classroom at Wilding, was stark white with rich mahogany wainscoting running its perimeter. Windows ran along the eastern facing wall, but they had all been shuttered up tightly. Unlike the other classrooms, there were no desks, no risers, just wide-open space and a series of padded mats. Alex watched with mild amusement while a few of the new students loitered awkwardly, not knowing quite what to do in a classroom with no chairs. A few others, whom she recognized from the previous year, were already dressed in the school's athletic uniform. They had kicked off their shoes and were sitting along the edge of one of the mats, chatting excitedly.

"Nice turnout, don't you think?" Professor Henshaw, clad head-to-toe in military blacks, approached and paused at her left shoulder. He was an intimidating man. Not large, but imposing nonetheless, his gaze always piercing and serious.

"Yeah, do you think they can all keep the secret this year?" The redhead tossed off sarcastically.

"I guess we're about to find out."

Alex continued to stretch as more students filed in; to her delight, there were a lot of new faces. She finished shaking out the soreness in her arms when one of the new students suddenly occupied her entire field of vision, not to mention a good deal of personal space. She stepped back, instinctively, slightly jarred.

"Oh, hey, sorry, didn't mean to crowd you. I mean, it seems like space is becoming a hot commodity, so it's hard not to, but I didn't mean to, uh, you know-" the girl in front of her trailed off, her hands up, creating a sort of mock-barrier between them.

"No, I know. Don't worry about it." Alex shrugged and glanced over the girl's shoulder, impatient.

"I am here on purpose though, I'm not just looming, like a creep, for no reason." The girl paused and Alex brought her attention back to the apparent conversation they were now having. "You're Alex Danvers, right? We had English comp & lit together last year."

"Oh yeah," Alex settled into one hip, arms crossed, "Sawyer, right? You did that project on, uh, what was it? Modern Police Procedure and-"

"Sherlock Holmes," she supplied, genially, "yeah, and it's Maggie. Maggie Sawyer. Is me." They shook hands, firm and fast. "Listen, do you know the deal with this class? I was in rugby last year but they cut the team. Apparently, all-girl's, intramural rugby does _not_ yield high alumni donations at this prestigious, private boarding school."

"I, for one, am shocked." Alex feigned incredulity and Maggie rewarded her with a broad grin.

"I just want to know if this is gonna be worth it or if its just one of those classes girls take that says its legit, but is actually just a step up from knitting?"

She regarded the new girl for a brief moment. Maggie was shorter than she, with smiling eyes and deep dimples. Her hair waived slightly as it fell in cocoa tinged waves. She wore a leather jacket over the school uniform, which was _so_ not allowed by the dress code, and Alex couldn't help but like her a bit for that.

"Well, I'm the TA, so I can tell you, with confidence, this class definitely won't be dull and you'll most likely spend about as much time being thrown around as you did last year."

"Excellent. I look forward to it. " Maggie smirked, twinkle in her eye, and raised an eyebrow before turning on her heel. "Thanks, Danvers."

Alex found that she, too, was grinning and upon this realization shook her head curtly, attempting to re-focus. This newfound concentration didn't last long, however, as a familiar face bounded toward her.

"Hiiiii."

"Kara! What are you doing here?" The redhead hissed, taking her sister by the bicep and dragging her to the edge of the classroom.

"What do you mean what am I doing here? Every student at Wilding is required to take one period of physical activity and this is what I picked!"

Alex sighed, curt but exasperated. "You can't take this class." Kara looked perplexed, and Alex attempted what she thought was an obvious explanation. "We throw people around, it gets physical."

"Um, isn't that the point?"

"Do you really think you – a girl with," she paused and surveyed the room to ensure no one was within earshot, "a girl with _super strength –_ should be in a class where you will regularly be paired with other people and asked to take them down?"

"You know I can control my strength, Alex! I've gotten really good."

"And I'm really proud of you for that, but why push it? Seriously!"

"Because I want to be normal, Alex, I do. But I also don't want to be helpless. So, I can't use my super strength because I can't risk exposure. Okay. That doesn't mean I have to be helpless!" Kara pursed her lips and stared intently at her sister, "And Clark is just starting to serve the people of Metropolis, what if I want to do the same some day? Shouldn't I at least have some basic defensive skills?"

Alex opened her mouth to argue, but upon taking in her sister's pleading eyes and determination, she thought better of it. "Fine!" She threw her hands up in exasperation. "But you need to be extra cautious."

Kara squealed, gleefully, and hugged the older girl, who stood stoic, attempting to maintain a strong, unyielding front. "This is going to be so great!"

"Yeah, yeah, just go sit down. We're going to get started."

Kara flounced away and Professor Henshaw made his way to the head of the class. The students quieted immediately as he loomed, silent for a moment, hands on hips.

"Welcome to Wilding's Self Defense class. I see a lot of familiar faces, which should encourage those of you who are new: everyone survives _and_ comes back for more. Also, based on the number of new faces, I can assume that my previous charges are lousy at keeping secrets."

"The first rule of Self Defense class is you don't talk about Self Defense class!" A girl shouted from somewhere in the middle of the cluster of students chuckled and chittered amongst themselves.

"This class originally started as a way to empower young women, and anyone else, interested in learning the basics of self-defense and, if anyone asks, that's all it is." The girls looked from one another, quizzically. "But, as is often the case, Wilding has consistently delivered me young women who continue to challenge themselves, who set the bar higher and higher, and clear that bar every time." Professor Henshaw paced back and forth at the head of the room, like a panther, dark and daunting. "So what started as a simple self-defense course is now a comprehensive survey of, not only basic defense techniques, but of a wide variety of martial arts, combat styles, meditation, and tactical skills."

Alex saw Kara's eyes widen as she hung, excitedly, on every word of Professor Henshaw's speech. She was still uneasy at the idea of Kara putting herself in situations that could potentially expose her abilities, but Alex couldn't argue with Kara's logic, and even more challenging: she couldn't say no to her sister. She turned her attention back to the professor as he was coming to the end of his introduction.

"At the end of this year, I promise, every young woman in this room will be stronger than she is today. You will be fierce, you will know what it is to earn the loyalty and respect of your peers, and you will redefine what it is to fight like a girl."

* * *

"Oh my gosh, James, you should have seen it today! Jenny Rosso got totally _floored_ by Alain Bennett." Kara excitedly shifted her books from one arm to the other as she picked up the coffee cup from the cart and tried to describe the day's events to her companion.

"It's good to hear that Henshaw's defense class is still the top-secret lady-assassin training course we all knew it was." He laughed as Kara knit her brows.

"Yeah, what's up with that? Everyone knows it's essentially a martial arts class, why all the subterfuge?"

"Eh, it comes from this old beef Henshaw had with the former headmaster. Some girl's father complained that what he was teaching was too violent and the old fusspot didn't want his daughter to learn that sort of "unladylike behavior" at school." James rolled his eyes, which Kara appreciated, "So the old headmaster reprimanded Henshaw and forced him to change his syllabus. Even with the new headmaster, he keeps the old syllabus, just in case a parent feels the need to complain, but he basically teaches teenage girls how to kill a man with their bare hands."

"Heck yeah he does!" She exclaimed, wrinkling her nose.

"Okay," James lifted the coffee cup from her hands and she scrambled for a moment, swiping at it as he held it aloft. "I'm pretty sure you've had enough caffeine for the day."

Kara sighed grandly, trying to push all her frustration out of her body through her fingertips. "It's not for me, it's for Professor Grant."

"She still has you getting her coffee? It's been over a week!"

"I know! She says I'm still too green, untested. She has to," Kara made a great show of using finger quotes as she said, "'get a feel for me' before I'm allowed to actually write anything for the school paper. Hence, coffee."

James lowered the cup and his shorter companion snatched it away from him, careful not to spill.

"How's Lucy doing? I haven't seen her much since lunch on our first day."

"She's good, she tends to over extend herself, even with all the work they give us, she always needs to take on more." James shook his head and Kara detected an expression somewhere between disappointment and pride. "She wants to go into military law, so she's got her hands full and I don't really see that changing anytime soon."

"That must be hard for you two."

"Nah, I'm busy too, I have photography and the paper and basketball. I've got all these scholarship applications that Clark keeps sending me so I can go to school with him up in Metropolis. Don't you worry about Lucy and me, we make it work."

Kara beamed, "I'm glad. You two are super cute."

"What about you? Did you break somebody's heart to come here?"

"Me?" She almost snorted, but caught herself just in time. "Oh, no. No. Nope."

"Uh-huh," He said, not quite believing her. "Well is there anyone here you have your eye on?"

"Like I have time for that! Between the piles of work for classes, being thrown around in self-defense, and running ridiculous errands for Professor Grant, when would I even have time to look at another person, let alone form some sort of attachment to them?"

"Yeah, okay." They loitered for a moment at the threshold of the classroom for the school paper.

"Okay what?" Kara countered.

"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

"James. There is nothing to tell."

"Whatever you say."

"I –"

But before she could continue her protestations a loud boom ripped through their conversation and reverberated across the campus. Almost immediately, black smoke bloomed and billowed up to the sky and the sound of panicked yelling took grew uncomfortably loud.

"What was that?!" Kara turned her face up to James who was craning his neck trying to pinpoint the origin of the smoke.

"I don't know, but it looks like it came from the STEM building."

Kara's eyes widened. She dropped her books and coffee and broke into a run toward the Science wing of the school, not even trying to temper her speed.

"Kara! What are you doing?" James called after her, but she was well out of earshot by the time the words escaped his lips.

She darted through the throng of students flooding the quad, scanning their faces as they attempted to get away from the origin of the blast, and stopped short when she beheld the ruined building. The northern corner of the STEM hall had been completely blown out and black smoke was ceaselessly pouring through the gaping, jagged hole. She reached the door of the building and was barred entry by her chemistry professor.

"What happened?" Kara demanded of the diminutive, aging man currently preventing her from entering.

"We don't know. The blast came from out of nowhere."

She attempted to push past him.

"You can't go in there, Miss Danvers."

"Did everyone get out?"

"We don't know. Emergency services are on their way, but we don't know what occurred, or if it will again. We cleared the building, but as it happened after classes adjourned, we're not sure who was inside. We don't," he faltered slightly and she could hear the fearful tremor in his voice, "we don't know if everyone got out."

The small man was visibly shaken and Kara was relatively sure she'd gotten all the information he was capable of providing at the moment. She thanked him and inched her way, unseen, to the side of the building. Everyone had been cleared from the area and she made a cursory scan before crossing to a side door and forcing it open.

Once inside, she raced from classroom to classroom, picking through overturned chairs, papers still fluttering. She tried to ignore the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach as she continued searching, calling out.

"Alex?"

She hadn't seen her sister outside and she knew Alex had a special project she was working on in the lab after school.

"Alex?"

She made her way upstairs and was greeted by a thick cloud of smoke, soot blackening her clothing, face, and hands as she came nearer to the northern corner of the building.

"Kara?"

"Alex!"


	4. Chapter 4: Smoke & Mirrors

Chapter 4

Smoke & Mirrors

"Kara? In here!"

The blonde crept, low, along the hall and followed the voice to a classroom at the end of the long hallway. She ducked her head below the thick smoke hanging above her and lowered her glasses. Squinting, Kara took in an x-ray view of the room before her; she saw upturned chairs and tables that had been reduced to splinters. It looked as if a support beam had collapsed and beneath it…

She didn't wait to finish the thought. Kara tried the door and found it jammed closed as the doorframe had shifted under the weight of a collapsing ceiling. She hesitated for a split second, always overly cautious about using her abilities in any setting, public or private, then drew her arm back and with a flat palm, slammed the door off its hinges, sending it flying into the room at unimaginable speed. It slammed against the far wall and Kara rushed into the darkened classroom.

This had been where the bomb, if that's what it was, had gone off. Whatever had caused the initial blast was still smoking in the far corner of the room, the open air from the blown-out wall created a vacuum, sucking some of the black mass out, though some of it still managed to hang in thick, ropey clouds around the room.

"Alex!" Kara rushed to the corner of the room opposite the ruined wall, to the destroyed support column and saw that part of it had managed to pin Alex's slight frame beneath it. A wet sob caught in her throat when she took in the sight of Alex curled to the side, her bent arm acting as the only brace between the column and her body.

"Kara, Kara, no, it's okay. It's not as bad as it looks." Alex pleaded and Kara almost had to choke back a laugh at the fact that her sister, trapped and most likely in pain, was still trying to comfort her.

She wasted no time in hoisting the crumbling column, tossing it to the side like a discarded twig. Alex drew a deep breath at the sudden relief of pressure across her chest. "The brace buckled under it's own weight, but it didn't actually hit me. I just got wedged under it when I was trying to protect the other students."

"There're others?" Kara whipped her head around frantically scanning the room for other potential victims.

"No, they all got out." Alex winced and sat up slowly. "It's just me."

"Careful. Did you hit your head?" Kara placed a finger against her sister's temple near an open gash, her forehead streaked with drying blood.

"No, but I think my arm may be broken. Here, help me up. We need to clear the building."

" _We_ don't need to do anything, besides, I checked the rest of the building, its clear." Kara steadied Alex against her side as she stood and with a gentle sweeping motion, before Alex could protest, the redhead found herself cradled in her sister's arms.

"Aw c'mon! You know I hate it when you carry me like this. I'm not some damsel on the cover of a pulpy romance novel." Alex protested as she clasped her wounded arm to her chest.

"I know. You're the hero, Alex, never the damsel, but I need to get you out of here as quickly as possible so you're gonna have to suck it up this once."

"Fine."

Just then, a low rumble started at the opposite end of the building and the room started vibrating. Walls started to rattle, then crack. The floor beneath them began to crumble away, falling below in great chunks. The rumble grew to a roar and the vibration became almost unbearable.

"The whole building is going to come down!" Kara shouted over the now deafening thunder of destruction and chaos around them. She surveyed their options and her eyes darted to the jagged hole at the far corner of the room.

"No, Kara. You can't!" Alex clutched at Kara's shirt with her uninjured hand.

"Alex, we don't have a choice. I can't go back the way we came. That way doesn't even exist anymore!"

"Someone will see you!"

"I have to get you out of here."

"Not like this!"

But the decision had been made. The floor gave way, buckling under it's own shifting burden and Kara used the last bit of tension below her feet to brace and push off into the air, flying for the first time in years.

She started toward the blown-out hole and felt the rush of cool air as she rose above it, using the smoke as a shield against any who might see her as she darted back behind the crumbling brick and cement structure. Kara then made her descent and touched down lightly, depositing her sister on her feet, safe.

"I can't believe you did tha-," Alex's shouting was cut short as another deafening boom shook the campus and the STEM building blew completely apart, with staggering force, then suddenly collapsed in on itself in a shock of blinding purple light. The smoke dissipated instantly and all that was left was a pile of blackened debris, scorched wood, and ruined brick.

Alex shielded her eyes with her good hand, "That didn't happen the first time. What was that?"

"I don't know, but I'm pretty sure it wasn't a lab accident."

"No," The redhead answered absently .

"C'mon. Lets get that cut cleaned up and your arm looked at."

"Thanks mom." Alex teased then went white as a sheet. "Oh my god! Mom! She's going to _kill me_ when she find out what you've done!"

* * *

"Alright people! What do we know?" Professor Grant was in no mood for games today. "Someone took a _chunk_ out of our campus yesterday and we need to know _who_ they are and _why_ they did it." She pushed fingers through her shoulder-length blonde hair and dusted the side of her cream-colored dress – with matching heels – leaning against her desk, feigning casual disinterest.

"I heard a guy in the quad saying it was just an experiment one of the science kids was working on," a short, nervous boy in glasses offered.

"Hard to believe anyone at this school could develop something with that kind of punch. Next."

"I heard it was a bomb made to target some ambassador's kid who goes here." A petite girl with braces and short curly Afro piped up from the back of the room.

"International intrigue. Maybe." Their teacher adjusted a gold ring on her right hand, pointedly disengaged.

Kara raised a meek hand, "My sister was in the room when the first blast went off. She said it definitely wasn't anything any of them were working on. Also, I overheard the fire chief tell a police officer that the second blast and the 'incendiary device' looked like nothing he'd ever seen before and that it may have even been alien tech."

"And there's our story. Kerah–,"

"It's Kara, actually."

"Whatever – is the only one who managed to bring me actual evidence. I want you, Langdon," she pointed to the short boy in glasses, "to partner with Olsen and find me a story worth telling. Based on facts, people, not rumors."

"Uh, Professor Grant?"

"Yes, Kerah?"

"What about me? I have some connections and I'm sure I would be a valuable–,"

"Yes, yes, go along. Langdon, you're off. Kerah can partner with Olsen. Learn the ropes and whatnot."

Kara made the smallest gesture of victory.

" _After_ , you bring me my coffee."

"Of course, Professor Grant."

"And did you call the dry cleaners and ask them why they weren't able to get that spot out of my–,"

"Yes, Professor Grant."

"Alright." The older women settled back against the desk and picked up the latest mock-up of the coming week's paper. The students hesitated in the long pause and looked at one another, sheepishly. "What are you all waiting for? Go! Write, research, do what you do!" They all sprang to life and scrambled to their desks to get to work.

Kara crossed to James and tried to contain her excitement.

"Okay, I know it's horrible that the explosion happened and that the building is destroyed and Alex got hurt, but," Kara gritted her teeth, eyebrows turning her face into that of a sad puppy as she looked up at James.

"Go ahead, say it."

"I'm so excited, I got a story!" She did a small, very awkward dance.

"You better not let Professor Grant see you doing that."

Kara settled immediately and adopted an attitude of mock-seriousness, picking a pad of paper and pencil from the desk and nodding sagely.

"Okay, okay. Since you're so fired up, why don't we get started? I was going to go take some photographs of the STEM building; maybe you could start by talking to your sister. Pick her brain, nothing serious. Whatever she's up for."

"Uh," Kara hesitated and worried her lip, "I know it's just Alex, but this is my first officially official interview. Shouldn't you come with me?"

"Nah, just pitch her easy questions and record it. We can go over it when we meet back here in," He turned his wrist to check a sleek, silver watch with a black leather band, "say, an hour?"

"Sure! Okay, I can do this. No problem." Kara replied with forced enthusiasm. She had no idea why she was suddenly nervous, but she definitely was.

James moved to stand in front of her, placing hands on her shoulders. "You'll be fine. You got this. Just talk her like you normally would. The right thing to say will come to you."

"Okay." Kara shook her head sternly and popped the pad or paper and pencil into her pack and slung it across her back. "Meet back here. One hour."

"One hour. You can do this."

"I definitely can."

"Can do what?" A cheery voice chimed in as Winn's head popped into the newspaper classroom, followed by the rest of him.

"Kara is conducting her very first interview for her very first article!" James rested a hand on her shoulder and Kara felt her smile slip the tiniest bit.

"Congratulations, Kara! Oh! You should interview me, I almost died yesterday."

She rocked forward, "You did?"

"Well, I could have," Winn faltered, "I mean I'm usually in that building around that time, but," he abandoned pretense, "I wasn't yesterday."

"Yeah, he was too busy mooning over Siobhan Smythe."

"I wasn't mooning! We have a... complicated friendship," Kara giggled and adjusted her glasses at Winn's protestations, "And even if I were, it saved my life!"

"Okay, Casanova, whatever you say."

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have a Network System Error to correct on Professor Grant's laptop."

Winn pushed past them, indignantly and James mouthed, "Professor Grant doesn't even know his name."

Kara stifled another laugh and realized, thankfully, that she was a lot less nervous now. She gave James a curt salute and started her trek toward the infirmary.

* * *

"I'm not sure I understand, are you just letting me win because you feel bad for me? Or are you really just that bad at cards?" Alex played a run of three hearts and threw her remaining card, face down, on the pile, smirking all the while.

"Aw! No, c'mon! I only had two cards left!" Maggie groaned from the foot of the bed. As she tossed her cards into the pile, defeated. "I think you're a hustler, Danvers, that's the only explanation."

Maggie started gathering the cards up into a small pile as the doors of the infirmary swung open.

"Kara!" Alex called cheerfully, "Come watch me kick Maggie's ass at Gin Rummy!"

Kara sidled up and sat next to Alex at the head of her bed. Her sister's arm had been set and was currently supported by a black canvas sling. There were four angry looking stitches over her right eye, but other than a few bruises, she was otherwise unscathed

"Oh no, you're not playing cards with Alex are you?" Kara pulled a sympathetic face and Maggie laughed. "She's the _worst_! It doesn't matter what the game is, she always royally trounces me."

Maggie laughed, her dimples deepening, "That sounds about right. Look, you kids have fun, I should probably be going anyway." She finished gathering the cards and Kara picked up a piece of wood in her sister's lap, it was about eight inches long by three inches wide and had an angled groove cut into it lengthwise.

"What's this?" Though Kara held up the wood to Alex, it was Maggie who answered.

"Oh, I asked my girlfriend to make that in shop class, so Alex could play cards with one hand."

As Maggie turned to grab her bag from the floor, Alex caught Kara's eye and mouthed _girlfriend?_ and Kara mouthed back _shop class?_ then they both turned back as the odd-woman-out righted her self to face them again.

Maggie pointed to the groove in the wood. "See? The cards tuck in there and stand up so Alex doesn't have to hold them. My dad made me one when I was little and my hands were too small to hold all the cards."

Something came over Alex's face, a look Kara couldn't quite discern, but it was gone too quickly for her to think on it for too long.

"That's so nice of you, or," Alex back-peddled slightly, "your girlfriend?"

"It was a joint effort, I guess."

"Well, either way, thanks for thinking of me, Saywer. See you soon?"

"Of course."

Kara watched this interchange with a quizzical expression. She couldn't quite figure out what was going on, but would absolutely be talking to Alex about it, _off the record_.

"Well," the shorter girl hefted her pack over her shoulder, "I'll catch you later Danvers." She made a slight gesture akin to tipping an invisible hat to Alex, then Kara, "Other Danvers."

As soon as the coast was clear, Kara turned on her sister and exclaimed, "What the _heck_ was that?"


	5. Chapter 5: Exposure

A/N: I hope you're having as much fun reading this as I am writing it! Thanks for your feedback and encouragement!

Chapter 5  
Exposure

Alex shrugged emphatically at the accusatory tone in her sister's voice, as emphatically as she could manage with a cast in a sling anyway, shaking her head for good measure. "She dropped by to keep me company for a bit."

"I can see that." Kara crossed her arms and peered over the rim of her glasses. "You were acting weird, though. You got this strange look...What's the deal?"

"I don't know." Alex wished she could cross her arms, her face constricted into a frustrated scowl. "I just think she's cool. Haven't you ever wanted someone to like you? Like, you meet them and just immediately know you want them to, I don't know, be your friend?"

"Of course I have! I've had some serious friend crushes, you know that better than anyone." Kara rested a gentle hand over her sister's. "And she obviously thinks you're worth getting to know. She came to see you in here, and made that card thing for you."

"Had her girlfriend make it," Alex corrected.

"Whatever. She came to see you; she brought you a present. You're doing fine."

Alex sighed and allowed her shoulders to slump as she leaned against the headboard of the infirmary bed.

"Listen, let me give you some advice that someone once gave me: 'don't make it weird and it won't be weird.' It's ended up being some of the best advice I've ever received."

"Of course it's great advice, I'm way smarter than you."

"All I can say is it's worked for me so far."

Alex treated her to a softly magnanimous smile and squeezed her shoulder with her free hand before punching it lightly.

"And now down to business, okay?"

"Right, business." Alex feigned seriousness which broke almost immediately. "Wait, what business."

"I pitched my first story to Professor Grant and she's letting me follow up on it, under James' supervision! I'm doing research on the blast and you," chucking Alex on the shoulder, "are my first interview!"

"You're lucky you're my sister."

"Your charming, _persuasive_ sister."

"Right. Okay, fine, might as well do this with you since I'll probably have to at some point."

"Yay!" Kara tapped the screen of her phone to start the recorder and set it on the bed, pulling up the upholstered chair and taking a seat. "This is Kara Danvers speaking with Alex Danvers for my very first interview," as she said this, she shot her sister a look that conveyed that they were now, officially, on the record.

Kara started talking, surprised at how easy performing the interview was turning out to be. Sure, it was only Alex, but even so, she seemed to be able to ease into difficult questions, using each answer to inform the next question. She found the process to be surprisingly pain-free, feeling naturally at ease with the whole thing. Kara felt confident that, provided all went according to plan, she might even be able to do this again with someone not related to her.

Before she knew it, the conversation wound down to a close and Kara tapped the screen of her phone once more, slid her notepad back into her pack, and crossed to the head of Alex's bed. The pillows were slightly askew and Kara did her best to arrange them around her sister them so Alex would be comfortable.

"I'm not an invalid, you know. It's just a broken arm. And the doctor said the break's not even that bad!"

"I know, I just want you to be comfortable if you're going to be stuck in here for a little while longer." Kara rested a hand on Alex's left shoulder – her good shoulder – and, bending down, kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Try and get a little rest, okay? And thanks for the interview."

"Anytime, and Kara?" Alex chirped with raised eyebrows, "you did a good job."

The blonde blushed and slipped from the room as Alex nestled happily into the pile of newly fluffed pillows.

Kara's hour away from the newsroom was almost up and she lighted out for the school paper, anxious to share her interview with James.

The Danvers sisters had already decided on a plausible story for their escape from the STEM building and Alex dutifully recounted it for Kara, leaving her out of the narrative entirely. She spoke of rushing to get others from the building, pushing people out of the way as the support column buckled. Alex had concocted a scenario wherein she was able to wriggle free from the cement and rebar and stagger from the structure mere seconds before the final detonation, the vivid flash of purple. Kara couldn't wait to get back to the classroom to start writing and started building the article in her mind when a commotion ahead interrupted her train of thought.

She continued down the stone-arch hallway along the open courtyard, toward the sound of combative voices. Two large boys, each with a few years and several inches on Kara, were looming over another student, cornered and audibly upset.

"Please, let me pass." The voice implored, though, more pointed than fearful.

Kara knew that voice! She rushed forward, shoving one of the boys aside.

"Lena?" Kara pulled even with the girl, paler than usual, clutching a large bouquet of stark, white chrysanthemums to her chest.

"Oh, Kara, hello," Lena's voice was small. It waivered a bit, somehow losing the stoic quality it had commanded mere seconds ago.

"Lena, what's going on?" Kara dropped her voice low, eyes darting to the two taller boys back to her friend.

"It's nothing, just some of Lex's old– "

"Hey!" One of the boys barked, interrupting, "We were talking here." His hair was close-cropped, sandy and blonde and he had a patchy, adolescent beard starting along his weak jaw. His school tie was hanging in a loose knot, which informed the rest of his rather unkempt look.

"Really?" Kara crossed her arms over her chest and settled into her right hip, "It didn't look like she was much interested in what you had to say."

"Kara, really, it's alright, I don't want you involved in this."

"Yeah, _Kara._ This is none of your business," the other boy had an accent, from somewhere in the UK she supposed, and his sneer matched his tone. "It doesn't concern you, so sod off." The sun glinted off his wavy, dishwater-brown hair, oiled back and gleaming. Though his overall appearance was decidedly more put-together than his compatriot, he gave of a too-slick air that set Kara's teeth on edge.

"Oh, I think it does. You're harassing my friend and that _makes_ it my business." Kara placed her body between Lena and the boys who exchanged a hungry, condescending leer. They were both tall, muscled and fit, aggressive, but neither seemed particularly bright.

"Kara, please," Lena's hand pulled at her shoulder and Kara looked back at her, meeting startling, frantic green eyes and tried to signal that everything was going to be okay. _She could handle this_.

"Look, either get out of the way and let us finish our _conversation_ with Miss Luthor," Patchy Beard snorted derisively at the honorarium and the boy with the accent continued, "or we deal with you first and _then_ we deal with little Lena, here."

"Yeah, and don't think we won't mess with you just because you're a girl."

"True gentlemen to your very core," Lena spat under her breath and the corner of Kara's mouth quirked up in a secret smile, holding her ground.

"Okay, alright," Patchy Beard looked agitated and seemed to be psyching himself up for something. "You want to go? We'll go. We got business to finish and no mousey, blonde _nothing_ is going to get in our way." He bounced slightly on the balls of his feet and wound up for what looked to be a fairly devastating punch, letting it fly.

Kara's hand moved faster than she though possible and she shot it up, catching his fist so that the full force of his violence fizzled before it ever made contact. She wrapped her fingers in a loose grip around his balled up fingers and twisted ever so slightly, causing the boy to to fall to his knees, his arm tweaked uncomfortably above him. The greasy boy with the accent stood, dumbfounded.

"Now," Kara's voice was stern, "Not only have you detained my friend against her will, but you think it's okay to hit a girl. You know what, I take that back," she laughed and watched the boy's eyes twitch with legitimate fear, "it's stupid to think it's okay to hit _anyone_ , ever! Don't you know that violence is never the answer?"

"Look, I'm sorry, we were just sent to deliver a message–"

"No. It's my turn to talk," she cut him off, a thin layer of ice in her tone. Kara had never been particularly aggressive, but she felt a surge of strength and a decidedly protective wave of emotion crest within her that made allowances for this overtly forward act. "I've got a new message for you to take back to whomever sent you: Lena Luthor is off limits. Period."

The boys looked at one another and Kara saw the unease in their exchanged glances. The oily-haired boy shifted as if to rock toward her and she shot him a narrow-eyed stare that caused him to think better of it. She didn't, however, see Lena's cheeks flush pink at the brazen act of protection.

"Do we have an understanding?" Silence from all parties. "I _said_ , do we have an understanding?"

Kara applied the lightest pressure to the arm still caught up in her grip and Patchy Beard groaned his ascent, with a satisfying amount of regret.

"Excellent." She released her grip and the boys scrambled to distance themselves from her.

"Hear this at least, Lex never forgives. And her _never_ forgets." the greasy boy with the accent cut his eyes at Lena, "One of these days, your little watch dog won't be with you and you can _bet_ we'll finish what we started."

"I pity your fate, should you try." The dark-haired girl snapped back and Kara felt a surge of, what was that? Pride? Satisfaction?

And with that, the boys turned tail and jogged in the opposite direction.

"That was," the dark haired girl's face split into a dazzlingly bright smile, strangely exhilarated, "I don't even quite know what that was! You were amazing!"

"Me? Psh. No." Kara sputtered, deflecting the compliment. "That? That wasn't even a thing."

"You stopped his fist mid swing!" Lena nearly shouted, not even attempting to conceal her disbelief.

Kara froze for a split-second, scrambling for a plausible explanation, "Uh, we learned that in self-defense!" She blurted out, and, trying for a smooth recovery, "Oh yeah, it's actually not that impressive. All about the proper application of force. Angles. Physics? Math... is involved" She trailed off.

"Well, I'm grateful, nevertheless." Lena's pale emerald eyes softened, dark-lashed and intense.

"I'm always happy to help a friend in need." Kara replied, in that 'aw, shucks' way she sometimes employed, her voice saturated with folksy charm.

"You really are remarkable." Lena said so softly that, had Kara not had super hearing, she would have missed. She colored a bit around the ears and adjusted her glasses.

"So, uh, who were those guys?"

Lena scoffed and shook her head vehemently, "Goons who used to hang out with my brother when he was here. I guess they still keep in touch with him."

"That's a frightening thought. What did they want?"

"I don't know, probably to scare me. Lex is none too happy that I decided to come back here to try and salvage the reputation he ruined. He's furious that I'll be taking over the family's corporate enterprise after college, in his stead," A heavy sigh, "and I doubt he'll ever forgive me for not following him down the destructive, toxic path he chose."

"That's," the blonde grappled for words as her brow furrowed, "a lot."

"Yeah," Lena agreed allowing a brief silence to settle over them, and then, "anyway, I better get these to their intended recipient." She held up the flowers, "Tell me, have you been to see your sister in the infirmary, yet?"

"I just came from there!" Kara beamed, "Those are for Alex?"

Lena nodded, "I was in the STEM building working on an engineering project when all that chaos happened yesterday. Alex was amazing when the blast went off. We were all panicking, people screaming and running around like crazy. She stayed amazingly calm and made sure we all got out safely and I guess I just wanted to tell her 'thank you'." She raised the bouquet then shrugged affably, "I guess protecting people just runs in your family."

"Something like that," Kara laughed, "Why don't I walk you back that way?" It was the in the opposite direction of the newsroom, but she didn't want to leave Lena alone just yet. Yes, she was worried those boys might double back, but there was something else she couldn't quite suss out, a nagging, pulling sensation telling her she should stay with the green-eyed girl for just a bit longer.

"It's out of your way, I wouldn't want to put you out any more than I already have." Lena ran her hand through dark hair, which hung straight and silky, just above her shoulders.

"It's nothing. Plus, as far as company goes, you're not the worst." Kara smiled broadly at the jest and Lena laughed outright.

"Gee, thanks!"

They fell easily into step, walking the few yards back to the infirmary. Kara caught the turned brass handle and was pulling the door open for her companion when a breathless Winn caught her eye. He trotted up to them and gasped for a few seconds, doubled over, hands on knees.

"Winn! What is it?" Kara, with mild concern, looked down at her friend, dressed in their white uniform dress shirt and pulling at his navy blue bowtie, attempting to draw more air into his lungs.

"You guys just got scooped!" He wheezed.

"What?" Kara cocked her head, waiting for him to elaborate, but before he could, her phone started chiming, Lena's too. Pinging sounds reverberated around them as students throughout the hallway and surrounding courtyard pulled out their phones. Winn withdrew his from his pocket and pointed to it as it vibrated away. Kara peered down to take a look and the color suddenly drained from her face.

There, on the screen, was a blurry picture of a dark, human-like figure hovering several feet above the smoldering STEM building, surrounded by a billow of smoke with the headline, "It's a Bird! It's a Plane! Is It Wilding's Very Own Superman?"


	6. Chapter 6: Sort of Like Batman

Chapter 6

Sort of Like Batman

Kara paced, tension curling in her muscles, electric and tight. She had made her way to the roof of the infirmary and was trying to calm herself down after the mass text that had swept their entire school, stewing in the fading light of day. Who was she kidding? This kind of thing wouldn't stay confined to their small campus for long. It may have already reached the local news outlets, maybe further.

Superman had been huge news and it hadn't even broken that long ago, a year or so, maybe more. Clark had chosen to head to Metropolis to finish his journalism degree and had quickly established himself as the "Man of Steel" after saving a plane whose engine had burned out mid-flight. Since then, there had been so many sightings and stories, both good and bad. Clark's sudden appearance cut the crime rate in Metropolis considerably, but it also raised alien visibility in one of the largest cities in the country and the presence of off-worlders was swiftly becoming a hot button issue.

At her old school, students had conducted a mock debate exploring the pros and cons of alien citizenship and their potential threat levels. She and Clark, Kal-El, had no planet to go back to, so the idea some people held that they, like so many immigrants and refugees should go back from whence they came struck her sharply, and stung for days after the debate. She knew that change could be frightening, that with the good, oftentimes, came the bad, but she was so hopeful that she, along with her cousin, could change the hearts and minds of the public. She wasn't expecting the burden to fall to her so soon, however.

After a decent period of time wearing a proverbial path in the roof from her ardent pacing, Kara had come to the startling realization that she was actually happy to be exposed. No, happy was the wrong word. Relieved? Excited? This, of course made her feel awash with guilt. True, there had been a part of her that loved the rush of using her abilities, but even more than that she relished the chance to help, to save someone. She knew that she was still young, but she couldn't help the constant feeling that she wasn't fulfilling her potential – her promise to her mother – that she wasn't doing anything worthwhile with her life. She hadn't come to earth to study chemistry, poorly, and flirt with boys and fret over clothes and weekend plans. She had come to protect and guide her cousin, and since that was no longer necessary, she felt somewhat adrift.

She couldn't help coming back to the rush of fulfillment, the overwhelming sense of purpose she felt flying Alex from that burning building. It was like a key suddenly finding its lock and clicking into place. She didn't know how to tell Alex any of this and was dreading the conversation she knew was coming.

But it wasn't Alex who found her pacing on the roof.

"Hey," Winn called, pushing open the door to the stairwell and stepping onto the tarred gravel underfoot.

"Hey," Kara answered without looking up from her feet.

"I'm sorry Kara, I know you were excited about your first story. It sucks you got scooped by stupid, pasty Langdon."

She almost laughed at this, amused by the fact that Winn assumed she was upset over the story. The photo of her hovering mid-air rendered her interview and subsequent research "old news" and she hadn't even stopped to consider that she'd lost her first assignment.

"That's okay Winn." She adjusted her glasses letting her hand linger at her temple for a moment. "I mean, it sucks, but I guess I've just got other stuff on my mind."

"Like what? I know we're still pretty new at this whole friendship thing, but I'm a great listener." Winn sat on the squared corner of a thick, aluminum exhaust vent and Kara's heart nearly broke at the earnest expression playing across his face.

"Have you ever had a thing you know you were meant to do, meant to be, but knew you never could because the risks were too great?"

"You make it sound like destiny," Winn commented wryly then noted that Kara didn't seem to be joking. He dropped the wit and adopted sincerity, "I mean, I know what it's like to have other people's expectations shape my future, but I don't know if I've ever felt the way you describe."

"Have you ever had expectations for yourself? A goal you've set or something you want so, _so_ badly, but know you can never have."

"Yeah, I do." Winn met Kara's eyes and his voice softened. "When I was growing up, I wanted to be just like everybody else. I wanted a family just like everyone else's. I just wanted to be normal, you know?"

"Me too." Kara had shared the somewhat redacted history of her adoption with Winn shortly after their first meeting and he had reacted with kindness. He didn't show any signs of pity as she recounted her tale of loss and adjustment, just firm support and the presence of mind to point out the positives, Eliza and Alex. Kara knew that even though their friendship was new, Winn had a good heart.

"But I wasn't normal. My family, my home life, none of it." Kara moved to Winn, resting next to him as his tone grew serious. "My dad, he was this great inventor, so smart, so unfailingly kind. He ran a toy company. He used bring me with him to his workshop and we would build things together," Winn smiled and met Kara's eyes, "Its where I learned that I love taking things apart and putting them back together. I love making things... work."

Kara wrapped an arm around his shoulders, realizing, in this moment, that he needed comfort more than she did.

"Anyway, sometimes the most dedicated, kind-hearted people can be the most dangerous when pushed too far. Without going into it too much, my dad went wrong somehow," Winn's brow got heavy, "ended up creating things, in the workshop where we had built so much together, that hurt a lot of people. Killed people. He went to prison, of course, and then I got to grow up without him. And what's worse, people were always telling me how much I reminded them of him, and that scared them, I guess. I was scared, too. I still am sometimes."

"Oh, Winn, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay now, though, I mean, I know the kind of person I am and the kind of person I want to be. I want to help people and use my skills to try and make up for all the pain he caused, to make things better for as many people as possible. I guess that's my goal. My destiny." He smiled that dopey, crinkled smile and Kara squeezed his shoulder lightly.

"That's what I want, too," Kara punctuated the silent moment that had passed between them, "to use my gifts. To help people. But I'm scared that it'll ruin everything. That it will put the people I love in danger."

"Whoa, whoa. How can helping make the world a better place endanger people you love? It's not like you're Batman and the Joker's going to come after your family. Though I guess Batman didn't really have a family to endanger, unless you count Alfred. Alfred totally counts."

"Winn! I think you've lost the plot a bit."

"Oh, right. But seriously, unless you're some superhero, punching criminals and flying around –" Winn swallowed his sentence as Kara rose and started backing away from him, slowly. "Kara. What are you doing."

"You trusted me, you told me about your dad. So I'm going to trust you, okay?"

"Uh, okay." His face was a picture of apprehension.

Kara knew they were exposed, even isolated as they were on the roof, but she was so much better at showing than telling, "That picture we all just got? Wilding's Superman?"

"Yeeeaaaah."

"It's me. I'm her."

"Okay, yeah, I'm mean, sure. Sure you are." Winn's face broke into an incredulous smirk and the tension drained from his body. "Oh my god. You almost had me! I mean, you were _so_ serious!"

"I _am_ serious!" Kara almost pouted. Night was coming on fast now and she could just make out the darkening skyline of their small town, following it all the way out to the skyscrapers of National City in the distance. She gritted her teeth. "Fine! I'll show you."

She started toward Winn and his eye widened, uncertain and a bit frightened by the determination in Kara's face. She yanked him up, and took off running toward the edge of the roof.

Winn, stunned that he had been lifted, was now startlingly aware at the impending closeness of ledge. "Kara? Kara! I know we haven't covered this yet but I have a crazy fear of heiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiights."

And suddenly the roof was shrinking below them and they were soaring, at staggering speeds, into the darkening night.

* * *

"That was completely irresponsible! I can't believe you told him!" Alex had her arms crossed, leaning against the wall as they waited for the rickety old elevator in the girl's dormitory. "This photo comes out. A photo, I might add, that is so blurry, it may as well be bigfoot hovering up there, and your first instinct is to _tell_ someone the secret we've been _carefully guarding_ for the last _four years_?"

"It wasn't my first instinct." Kara offered sheepishly. "I just needed someone to talk to who might understand how I felt!"

"Then talk to _me_!" Her sister's face was a confused mix of hurt and stern disapproval.

"Alex, you know better than anyone the consequences of me using my powers. But there are some things I just can't say to you. Some things I just," her face fell, "I don't think you'd understand."

Alex opened her mouth to speak then closed it again, shrinking back slightly as Kara reached over to place a hand on her shoulder, wounded.

"It's just, sometimes, the way I feel, the things I want. They make me feel so guilty." Kara slumped against the wall next to Alex. "I have this purpose, this, I don't know, destiny, that I'm not living up to, and sometimes it's just... devastating." She breathed out, wincing at the forlorn look on Alex's face. "I want so much more than the small, simple life Jeremiah envisioned for me, and I can't tell you how terrible I feel just thinking that, let alone saying it out loud. I feel like I'm betraying him."

Both girls jumped as the rickety elevator clattered up and sputtered to a stop, doors opening. Alex went in first, Kara following, tentative and uneasy, behind her.

"Oh Kara, You're not betraying him." Alex pressed her palm to a brass panel Kara had never noticed before. A beam of light flickered and scanned her palm as a voice, feminine and robotic, asked for authorization. Her sister repeated her own name and the elevator lurched to life, traveling more smoothly than Kara had ever experienced. Alex turned to her as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. "And as for wanting to be more," they travelled down and down and down, "we might have more in common in that area than you think."

Kara glanced uncertainly at her sister and felt the air become slightly thin, as if the oxygen was struggling to follow them below. They had passed the ground floor of the dormitory long ago and continued their descent until the elevator came to a smooth, steady stop. The doors slid open and Kara stepped out into a cavernous room bathed in florescent light.

"Alex? Why are we in the Batcave!?" She glanced around from walls of computer screens, desks framed by rock formations jutting out at all angles, to dozens of people, some close to her age, rushing around, staring at monitors, and generally too busy to take note their arrival.

"It's not the Batcave, though there are bats," Alex started forward and Kara followed, dumbly, "and they bite, so watch out for that. This is a training and recruitment satellite site for the Department of Extra-Normal Operations, or D.E.O." She turned and, hands firmly on hips, addressed her sister, "consider yourself recruited."

"THIS IS SO COOL!" a voice shouted from somewhere off to their right.

"Oh yeah, we brought Winn too," Alex rolled her eyes and turned back toward the bustling command center. "C'mon, I'll show you around."

"Um, what?" Kara stood frozen, "Alex! You literally just took me to a cave, like, a million floors under my dorm room, full people and crazy technology and, wait," Kara sputtered, "is that my pod!?"

"Um, yes?" Alex glanced over her shoulder to the silver paneling and soft green glow of Kara's space pod.

Kara crossed her arms across her chest and scowled at Alex with all the vitriol she could muster. "Frankly, I think you're being a bit cavalier about this whole thing."

"Come here Kara," Alex held her arm out to her sister and Kara stubbornly approached, frown still firmly in place as her sister wrapped her up in a one-armed hug. "I know this is weird and it probably seems like a lot of things are happening to you all at once, but I want you to know that I understand how you feel about needing to be more than you are." They crossed to a large brushed chrome table and Alex gestured across the room, "This is how I fulfill that need. The DEO helps people and with them, _I_ help people. Now let me help you."

"I still don't understand."

"Don't worry. You will."


	7. Chapter 7: Secrets and Super Suits

Chapter 7

Secrets and Super Suits

"There is no way I'm coming out dressed like this." Kara's voice echoed from behind a dressing screen, set up in one of the many paneled side-rooms at the DEO.

"Aw c'mon, be a sport!" Winn laughed.

Kara took a few tentative steps around the screen, arms clasped over her midsection, shifting them up and down to cover various parts she felt were in danger of exposure. She was in a skintight blue top with cutaway sections and what she could only think to describe as hot pants.

"There is no way I'd ever be able to get anything done in this, I'd be too busy trying to stay covered up!" Kara shouted over Alex's laughter, reverberating around the otherwise empty room, before skittering back behind the screen.

They had been coming down to the DEO headquarters for a week and a half now, Winn working on the computer monitoring systems and helping to suggest upgrades while Kara was given the rundown on their operations. He seemed to fit in right away, and Professor Henshaw mentioned that the DEO already had their eye on Winn for recruitment, even before the exposé, they were just waiting for the right moment to bring him onboard.

Kara was, at first, shocked when Professor Henshaw greeted her on her first day, looking up from a computer screen, flashing brightly.

"Hello Ms. Danvers, good to have you on board."

"Professor Henshaw!" Kara stuttered, "I-I suppose it's good to be here?"

"I hope Agent Danvers has been giving you the run-down on our operation here."

"A-Agent Danvers?"

"That's me," Alex hissed, coming up beside her.

"You're an agent?" Kara's brows shot up. "Agent... of what?"

"Oh boy." Alex expelled a breath.

Alex had explained that schools like Wilding – where students were taught at an accelerated rate, most studying at the collegiate level and beyond thanks to partnerships with local universities – were often used as proving grounds for prestigious programs, like the DEO.

Kara knew the first part, she still found it strange, but she'd gotten used to seeing the variety of students, some as young as 12, and some as old as 21 living in the dorms. There were advanced placement courses at the high school level, but there were also college and Master's level courses offered through their partnership with UC National City. It didn't surprise her that government agencies and other organizations kept a close eye on students here. Wilding, and other programs like it, where famous for turning out some of the world's foremost scientists, engineers, entrepreneurs, and forward thinkers.

"I was recruited by the DEO my first year here. Director Henshaw hand picked me and, since then, I've been working really hard."

"How hard?" Kara asked, realizing now that this must be why she had seen so little of her sister the past few years. This must be why Alex hadn't come home during the summer.

"What?"

"How hard Alex? How hard have you been working?" Kara's face was painted with skepticism.

"Okay, so remember how upset when Mom found out that I blew right past my high school graduation and started college courses two years early without telling her?"

"Yeah. She kept going on about ceremony and tradition and the 'important steps in every young person's life.' A lot of talks about caps and gowns. It was very strange."

"Well, you get to help me tell her she missed my college and training academy graduation too."

"WHAT?" Kara stared, slack jawed and Alex shrugged and gave her an awkward smile.

Since then, they'd bickered over the keeping of secrets, but things eventually settled between them and Kara started to enjoy her work with the DEO. She warmed considerably once she discovered that the organization supported the idea of her using her abilities out in the world, under their supervision, of course. She would operate within the constraints of the DEO and they would allow her the freedom to use her gifts to further their cause: dealing with aliens, both foreign and domestic, who posed a threat to society.

This brought her to her current predicament: trying on potential suits that would allow her to fight and still conceal her identity while on missions.

"I had Vasquez order a bunch of this great new material - totally classified, military grade, very secret stuff," Winn prattled on excitedly as Kara changed behind the screen. "It's not only flame retardant and impossible to rip, bit it's also coated in this high-grade, but very lightweight, Kevlar webbing."

"So she can deflect bullets without worrying about getting holes her outfit?" Alex countered.

"Exactly."

Alex shrugged, "Practical."

"Okay guys, I think this is the one." Kara stepped from behind the screen with a satisfied smile plastered across her face.

The suit was a deep blue, and consisted of a fitted jacket in a motorcycle style, the front zipper cutting an angled path toward her left shoulder. The sleeves were long with pieces that slipped over her thumbs so they would stay in place while flying. The pants were snug and fitted and, starting at the knee, disappeared beneath tall, leather boots in a deep, oxblood red.

Alex circled her, assessing the look. "Functional and flattering. Mom's right, you do always look good in blue."

"It just needs the crest." Kara assessed herself in the mirror they'd set up as part of their makeshift dressing room.

"Crest?" Winn asked.

"Like Superman wears on his chest." Alex placed a hand over her sternum in demonstration.

"Oh, the 'S'. Okay, I can do that."

"It's not an 'S,'" Kara offered gentle contradiction. "It's my family crest."

"The house of El." Alex finished her thought with a light smile and continued appraising the fit of her jacket, tugging here and there.

"Add... crest of El. Got it." Winn scribbled a quick note to himself, "And we're going to add a hood, of course, and probably a mask or something to cover most of the face." Winn added, making furious swipes on a sketchpad.

"What? Why a mask!" Kara whined, and Alex shot her a dubious look. "Clark doesn't have to wear a mask! They'll think I have something to hide!"

"Kara, you do have something to hide." Alex explained, carefully, "Clark is one man in a city of millions and right now, you're one girl in a school of hundreds, in a small town not much larger than that. We have to make sure that you stay safe and stay smart. Right now, that means being overly cautious with protecting your identity. Don't worry. It won't always have to be this way."

Kara worried her lower lip and Alex placed a gentle hand on her sister's shoulder.

"Look, I know how hard it is to hide a part of yourself – trust me I do – but in this particular case, I care more about the safety of my sister than I do about," Alex paused. To Winn, "what are they calling her now?"

"Supergirl," he supplied, not looking up from his sketchpad.

"Right. I care more about you than I do about Supergirl", okay?"

Kara huffed and nodded ascent. "Okay."

"Speaking of caring about my sister, I hear you're having a hard time in chemistry."

"That is not my fault! I didn't want to take it in the first place, you know I think science is boring!" Kara slipped behind the changing screen and started to switch out her new super suit with pieces of her school uniform.

"As much as it wounds me – to the soul – to hear my own sister decry the subject to which I have dedicated my life –"

"Oh, for the love of Rao, can we tone down the guilt?" Kara wailed, though Alex could hear the smile in her voice.

"Fine." Alex laughed as Kara emerged, dressed, pack slung over her shoulder. "But you need to find a tutor. Working with the DEO is important, but your schoolwork should come first."

"Seriously? We're saving the world from rogue aliens and you're more worried about my grade in chemistry?"

"Seriously." Alex placed her free hand on her hip, adopting what Kara recognized as her power stance. "If you want, we can find you someone here in the DEO, I know we have –"

"No." Kara cut her off.

"I have someone I can ask."

"Okay," Alex's tone was annoyingly parental, but Kara didn't mind much. It reminded her of Eliza, and always made her feel loved.

She gave Alex a quick squeeze before leaving. "Love you."

"Love you too." Alex paused as Kara turned to go, then called out, "Go study."

* * *

"Lena Luthor! Just the person I was looking for!" Kara shucked her pack and set it on the floor next to an overstuffed leather chair. Nestled in the chair opposite her, Lena sat folded in an impossible origami tangle of limbs. Kara took a split second to take in the white-rimmed glasses, the bright emerald eyes, the raven's wing hair, swept into a complicated knot of twists and curls and felt a smile tug, insistently, at the corner of her mouth.

Lena looked up from a frighteningly large book and her face split into an unabashed grin, "Kara Danvers! Always a pleasure." She closed the book and shifted to face Kara, "how did you know I'd be here?"

"You're always reading a different giant book. I figured you must go through them pretty quickly, so the library was as good a bet as any. Plus I needed a few giant books, myself."

"That's fair," She laughed, light and easy, and Kara felt something pull tightly in her chest as she sank into the cozy armchair. "What can I do for you, Miss Danvers?"

"So," Kara pursed her lips, "you know chemistry?"

"The concept of shared personal connection?" Lena raised a curious eyebrow, "or the subject?"

"Um." Kara's face grew inexplicably warm. "The subject," she answered.

"Yes, I'm familiar." Lena beamed, steadily, and Kara wondered how anyone could ever harbor animosity toward anyone whose smile was so genuine and so unfailingly present.

"I'm not. Which is a problem, since I'm taking it this semester." Kara gave an awkward grin and half shrug, which she hoped would come off as endearing.

"I see." Lena straightened slightly and draped an arm lazily across the back of the creaking leather chair. "Well, I suppose I do owe you after your act of chivalry last Tuesday."

"Oh that? No, you don't owe me anything for that." Kara sputtered in halting modesty. "I was," she shrugged, "I was happy to do it."

"Alright, then I'm happy to assist with getting you and chemistry better acquainted." Lena's lips quirked up into a smug grin and she placed a light hand over Kara's own. "And in the meantime, I'm sure I'll think of some way you can repay me.

Kara gulped, unable to shake Lena's gaze. Though her face was genial, open, Lena's ice green eyes seemed to glint with something Kara couldn't quite interpret.

"Did you want to get started now?"

"Oh, I don't want to impose. You're busy reading."

"Kara, as you yourself observed, I'm always busy reading. I'm happy to take a break, though, it's no trouble." Lena pushed up from the chair and Kara watched as she carefully unfolded her limbs, the pleats of her skirt falling delicately into place as she rose. Kara was sure she, herself, had never embodied anything resembling grace and yet it seemed to be Lena's natural state of being. "Why don't we get a table so we can spread out and see what we're working with."

Kara swallowed hard once more and stood, inelegantly, to follow behind the green-eyed girl.

* * *

"Danvers!"

Alex's head snapped up in time to see a dark haired girl approach. She swung her leg over the sleek black Ducati and stood beside it before pulling off her motorcycle helmet.

"Nice ride." Maggie nodded toward the bike. She was wearing the leather jacket again; Alex could tell it was well loved and well cared for. It looked soft to the touch, broken in, and Alex found herself consciously resisting the urge to reach out and place a hand on Maggie's arm, "I've been saving up for the Triumph Bonneville T100 myself."

"I haven't seen you much the last few days." Alex pulled her bag from the cabled storage webbing at the back of the motorcycle, turning to walk toward campus. "You weren't in class yesterday."

"Yeah, that's sort of what I wanted to talk to you about." Maggie shoved her hands in her back pockets and fell into step next to the taller redhead. "I need you to come somewhere with me, but before you do, I need to know you can keep a secret."

"Maggie, I –" Alex's brow fell and she stopped to meet Maggie's eyes.

"Look, I've been at this place long enough to know that things aren't always as they seem and so have you." Maggie's tone was serious, but her face was casual and kind. "Now, I don't know what sort of game you and Professor Henshaw are really running, but I know that whatever it is, it runs deeper than your little on-campus, feminist fight club."

Alex opened her mouth to speak but closed it again, taken aback by this sudden outpouring.

"I also know that between classes and cards the last few weeks, I've gotten a pretty decent read on you, Danvers. You're a good person. Smart. Fair." Maggie's dimples deepened as her mouth drew into a grin. "Tell me I'm right. Tell me I can trust you."

"You," Alex stammered. Her right arm was still confined to it's sling and she rested her left hand on her hip, trying to convey the confidence she needed, "You can trust me."

"Okay, let's go."

Alex almost gasped as Maggie took her hand to lead her toward the campus. The light was fading and a mid-fall chill was just beginning to creep into the air. To be fair, it would never feel truly cold, as they were in Southern California and the Santa Ana winds always brought the warm breezes through December. But even so, Alex couldn't help but shiver as she trailed behind the shorter girl. They made their way through the maze of familiar corridors and stopped in front of a rather unremarkable classroom door.

Maggie knocked in succinct, staccato pattern, which Alex subconsciously memorized, and the door cracked open.

"Hey Sawyer, who's your friend?" A gruff voice pushed through the gap.

"This is Alex. She's cool."

The door swung open and Alex made her way into a classroom that looked more like a 70's smoking lounge than anything remotely to do with education. There were couches with low tables, a scattered collection of bar-height tables and chairs, few large mid-century steel desks with sleek computers whirring away, and even a foosball table. The lighting was low and instead of flooding the room with fluorescents, seemed to be coming form a few scattered floor lamps.

It was only after she had finished taking in the scenery that Alex managed to notice the people. Students, she assumed, but there was something slightly off about each person her eyes grazed. It wasn't until she watched a young boy shift his knight to E5 with a blue fingered hand that the realization dawned on her. She glanced around the room, infused with a sense of mild panic, taking in a girl whose forked tongued darted out as she spoke to a boy with sharp quills where his sideburns ought to be.

"What is this, Maggie?"

"Welcome to the HAA."

"The HAA?"

"The Human/Alien Alliance." Alex must have been a portrait of confusion, because Maggie continued, "some schools, if you're lucky, have a GSA or QSA, you know, a Gay/Straight Alliance. A place where people who are made to feel 'other' can come and be themselves. Wilding, never to be outdone, has taken it one step further with the Human/Alien Alliance."

"But," Alex practically gaped. She was agitated, to be sure, trained by the DEO to be on high alert around any potential alien threat. "I didn't even know this existed! Where did they all come from?"

"They've been here."

"They've..." Alex trailed off, "But how? We would've known."

"We? Oh man, I knew it! You are mixed up in some sort of top secret organization!" Maggie punched her on the arm, "With Henshaw, right? Tell me I'm right."

Alex kicked herself for the slip, but realized that if Maggie was willing to trust her a little, she could do the same.

She treated Maggie to a knowing smile, "That's classified."

"Excellent." The shorter woman smiled back and took Alex by the arm, leading her to the far corner of the room. "To answer your question, most of the people here are able to mask their differences or they stay close to those who can project a psychic shield. That way they can live their lives and not have to worry about persecution. They have to hide who they are to fit in, which is something I understand and can relate to." She paused, "And I'm pretty sure you can, too."

Alex quirked her head to one side.

"You know," Maggie backpedaled hastily, "Having to cover up that black ops thing you're involved in."

"Right." Alex agreed a bit too hastily.

"Anyway, I brought you here because I know you're handy with post-fight First-Aid and a friend of mine can use your help," She ducked her head a bit and added, "and your discretion."

Alex continued after Maggie and they stopped in front of a low couch shunted off to the side. Reclining, breathing heavily, and surrounded by a few scattered people was a boy Alex thought couldn't be much younger than she was, maybe 17 or 18 at the most. Except, he wasn't a boy exactly, his skin had a dark green tinge around the edges and came together in a way that seemed almost human, but not quite. It would have been unsettling had Alex not been more preoccupied with the presence of blood and gaping wounds slashed across his cheeks and upper body. She bent down to examine the damage more closely.

"Who did this? What did this?"

"We don't know." Maggie sighed. "Trevor said this group of boys jumped him, slammed him down, and he woke up hours later, dumped about five miles from campus, looking like this."

"Why didn't you take him to the hospital?"

"Would you go to a hospital if you were an alien right now? In this political climate? Do you think they'd even know how to treat him?"

"We can."

"Alex, you can't take him, they'll black bag him."

"They–"

"Can you promise me that if he goes wherever you're suggesting, that they would let him just walk out as soon as he was healed?" Maggie's face was kind again; she had a gift for projecting calm, even when her words were full of fear and warning.

"I –," Alex faltered. "I'll treat him. I'll treat him here." She pushed up from her low crouch. "I just need to get a few things."

"Thank you."

Suddenly, the boy's arm shot out and grabbed at Alex's wrist, startling her. He rasped something in a voice too low to hear and the redhead lowered herself, once more, leaning close to his moving lips.

"Cadmus," Trevor rasped, "When they took me. One grabbed me and shouted 'we are Cadmus' then everything went dark."


	8. Chapter 8: Falling

A/N: This one is a bit longer to compensate for the extra wait time and I hope everyone had (or is still having) a great holiday! Also, for an illustration of Kara's redesigned super suit, please see the link in my profile!

Thanks!

Chapter 8  
Falling

"I can't believe you ate that whole thing!" Lena gaped in unguarded awe.

Kara smiled, her mouth still full of pizza. She had just eaten her way through an entire extra large pie, piled high with all the toppings she could ever hope to want. To be fair, she had actually just polished off their second pizza. The first had been picked over tactfully as Lena had actually contributed to its consumption, eating with slow methodical practice that Kara found mesmerizing and perplexing. The second was not so lucky, mercilessly devoured by a Kyptonian battling some serious stress.

"I eat my feelings when I'm stressed." Kara took a swig of coke and smiled, happily sated, for now.

"I have never met anyone with such an appetite; I don't think I've ever seen you eat less than a metric ton of food, and yet you always look so fit," Lena laughed, "It's enough to make a girl jealous."

Kara shrugged, happily, "Just lucky, I guess."

"Well, in terms of stress eating, I don't think you really have a reason to worry. Your work has really improved and I think if we keep it up, you'll be more than ready to ace your chemical bonds test on Friday."

Their books were spread out across a vaguely tacky wooden table nestled into a booth on the outskirts of the local pizza place. After their first few study sessions, they had grown tired of the library and had since taken to studying at various local eateries. This was partially for the change of scenery, but mostly because Lena knew Kara could only go so long before her hunger distracted her from their task at hand.

She came to this conclusion after their first few sessions rapidly devolved into Kara theatrically falling out of her chair, complaining of impending starvation; and while Lena appreciated the joke and the break from the monotony of work, she thought it might be prudent to include dinner in their study dates. Kara was all too happy to comply and since the addition of a shared meal she was not only a much better student, but also a more pliant and genial conversationalist, for which Lena was always grateful.

"I'm feeling pretty good about the whole covalent slash ionic thing and the chemical compounds." Kara shuffled the papers in front of her and stacked them neatly next to her nearly-empty soda cup. "And I know you've had to put up with me this whole time, but I have another favor to ask of you."

"I think by now you know that I'm a bit of a sucker when it comes to you and favors, Kara Danvers." Lena's eyes twinkled as she looked out from under a raised eyebrow. Kara shifted, warm and a bit flustered, under her gaze. "Though at some point I am going to cash in on those you now owe me."

"I look forward to it." Where did that come from? Kara's ears went pink and she adjusted her glasses.

"Now, what can I do for you?"

"Uh," Kara paused for a moment, experiencing a split-second, short-circuit of the brain, "Oh right. This may be overstepping and you're one hundred percent free to tell me to shove it, but I wanted to talk to you about something. On the record." Lena looked at her blankly. "For the school paper."

"Ah. Alright, I suppose we can play a round of intrepid-girl reporter." Lena smiled jovially and Kara pulled out her phone to record the conversation

"I'm still sort of new at this." She opened the recording app, started it rolling, and set the phone on the table. "But I wanted to ask you your opinion on the more recent sightings of the person Professor Grant has dubbed 'Supergirl.'"

Lena shifted a bit, angling her chin slightly toward her chest. "Of course. Supergirl," she dropped her chin to her hand and fixed Kara with a pointed stare. "Are you asking me as a student and citizen of our little town, excited to get their very own Super? Or are you asking me as Luthor, whose brother was sent to jail by someone wearing that same big red 'S'?"

"Both I suppose?" Kara straightened up a bit, "As a reporter, I know I'm supposed to go for the story, but as a friend," she sighed and placed a hand over Lena's across the table, "I really just want to check in and see how you're doing."

Kara had been going out on maneuvers with the DEO, tracking aliens, but also doing more simple saves like directing traffic when an elderly woman fell in a crosswalk, putting out a fire in an apartment building, stopping a robbery. It was exhilarating to be out in the world, using her powers for something worthy. She never knew she could feel this free or fulfilled. The local paper had been quick to pick up news of her activity and coverage quickly went national; someone even managed to get a decent picture of her, which Winn cut out and kept at his desk at the DEO. It seemed that Professor Grant's moniker had stuck and Kara was now Supergirl in the eyes of the public. Initially, Kara had argued against the choice for name, but after Professor Grant's empowering – and terrifying – lecture on taking back girl as a powerful descriptor, she accepted her new name and even relished it.

But the more time she spent with her chemistry tutor and, now, surprisingly close friend, the more she noticed little changes in Lena's demeanor – little tells. The way she became small at the mention of her brother, how her strength and poise seemed to crumble when pointedly ignored by fellow classmates, and the fact that Kara had to step in when some pig-headed jocks had cornered Lena, telling her that she would finally get what was coming to her now that they had their own Super right on campus. She loved being Supergirl, but she didn't love what it was potentially doing to Lena.

"It's..." the dark haired girl tilted her head, heavy on her propped elbow, "more difficult than I thought it would be."

"Having Supergirl show up?"

"That too, but the whole thing really. Staying here, even after Lex was kicked out and trying to pick up the pieces. I hadn't really realized how thoroughly he'd smashed them until recently."

Kara's brows knit, "What do you mean?"

"Well, I wasn't actually supposed to be here at all. Up until the middle of last year, I was at a boarding school in Ireland, specializing in science and tech. My parents had me transfer here when things started to get rough for Lex, thinking I might level him out, but I think I made things worse."

"You were close."

"Once." She sighed and her eyes, so sharply green, took on a glassy quality, "I wasn't always a Luthor. I was adopted when I was four and while my new parents provided every possible advantage, every material comfort, they weren't what one might call warm or nurturing. Lex was the one who made me feel...wanted. He wasn't always the anti-alien zealot he is today, that took a lot of time, and a lot of anger. He used to be so kind. He cared for me when I needed it most and now? Now, he feels nothing but rage."

Kara's eyes narrowed and she squeezed the girl's hand in hers. "Not at you though, right?"

"When Lex started having trouble at Wilding, my parents brought me here to talk some sense into him, to see if I could inspire kindness in him. But when I got here, it was like I didn't even know who he was. He was ranting, so angry and so afraid. He told me he needed me to help him. He tried to draw me into his schemes. But I'm not built for that kind of hatred. I don't share his views. I couldn't go down the path he was on. In many ways, I abandoned him. In his eyes, I betrayed him."

"Then why stay?" Kara found Lena's eyes and held her gaze, gently conveying as much comfort as she could muster with her wordless glance.

"What?" Lena seemed to break from her reverie.

"Why stay here at all?"

"Lex made some heinous mistakes, that's no secret. But I believe that each person makes her own destiny – chooses her own path – and I'm determined to become a force for good. I want to be here. Every day I show up is a blatant act of protest, flying in the face of all those people who think a Luthor can't be trusted, can't be virtuous. And when I'm through here, I'm going to take what knowledge I've gathered and turn my family's tarnished company into a beacon of hope."

"Wow." Kara sat, more than a bit starry-eyed.

"I know, that's all a bit flowery, but it's truly how I feel."

"Lena Luthor, you are amazing."

* * *

"Hey! Danvers, you got a few minutes to spare?" Alex felt a tug as something pulled at her elbow. She slowed her pace and came face to face with Maggie, deep-dimpled and ever-smiling.

"Um, I've got a thing to do for Henshaw, but I think I can spare a minute or two. Why?"

"Two things," though Maggie had ditched the leather jacket for an oversized cardigan, she still managed to look shamelessly cool, "first, you should probably check on Trevor's stitches. They look like they need to come out. Second, he remembered a bit of what happened to him last week and you're going to want to hear this."

"Okay, let's go." Alex turned and gamely trailed after the shorter girl.

She and Maggie had been spending more and more time together, Maggie was helping to shift Alex's view on aliens from unbridled hostility to something closer to understanding and Alex had, in turn, helped Maggie with her side project: finding more information on Cadmus. They hadn't been particularly successful, but Alex loved teaming up with the other girl regardless.

Maggie was smart, quick witted, and more than capable of holding her own. She was no slouch in the field and was even able to match Alex block for block in their self-defense class. She couldn't help but admire Maggie's strength, her ability to be so unabashedly herself. Alex was a lot of things, but sure of herself was never high on that list. She was, of course, brave - bold and assertive - but she was always so concerned with living up to everyone's expectations that sometimes she wondered who she was under all the bluster and veneer. She was the best daughter she could be, the best sister, protective and strong. She was an exceptional agent, a more-than-consummate scientist and though she deferred her medical career in lieu of working with the DEO, she had accrued a decent amount of expertise when it came to surgical skill in the field.

She remembered Maggie watching her, curious and bright eyed, while she stitched up the deep gouges in Trevor's shoulder the week prior.

"Geez, Danvers, is there anything you can't do? Those stitches look professional and you're still down an arm." Maggie held Trevor's shoulders still while Alex tied off the end of the medical threading, working slower than she otherwise might have, since her right arm was still in a sling, the DEO had given her something to speed the healing process, but it was still taking longer than she'd like to mend. Thankfully, it wasn't her dominant hand.

"I had some medical training before life took me down a different path." Alex answered without looking up. "I used to practice my stitches on bananas."

"Bananas?"

"Yeah, they're not too far off from the real thing and they're just as sensitive to bumps and bruises." Alex took the surgical scissors and cut the end of the thread, meeting Maggie's eyes. "I still do, sometimes, when I'm bored."

"I can't imagine you getting bored." Maggie rose from her crouch and Trevor nodded off, shifting uncomfortably.

"My dad used to say 'only boring people get bored.'" Alex started packing up her supply kit, smuggled from the DEO's medical lab, and Maggie settled into a chair next to her. "I think boredom is a luxury I wish I could afford." Alex looked up just in time to see a girl across the room cut her eyes at Maggie. Maggie responded to the slight with a curt raise of the chin before turning her focus back to Alex. "What was that?"

Maggie rolled her eyes, "Nothing," Alex raised a disbelieving eyebrow, "don't worry about it."

Alex looked back across the room and experienced a brief flicker of recognition. She couldn't quite put her finger on how, but she knew there was something different about the girl, "Wait, is she a Roltikkon? I hear they can establish a telepathic connection by making contact with the dorsum of the tongue."

"Yeah, how do you think she passed second semester Poly Sci?" Alex shot a curious look back at Maggie. "She's my ex."

"Your ex," the redhead mused. "Wait, the one who made me the card holder-thing?"

"That's the one." Maggie allowed an irritated smirk to pull at the corner of her mouth. "Turns out she'd been learning to use the belt sander from some guy in her class named Justin the whole time.

"Oh Maggie, I'm sorry," Alex placed a tentative hand over Maggie's, hyper aware of every point of contact between them. "I didn't know."

"That's okay, I'll get over it." She paused, and continued, "And I don't just date aliens. I do just tend to like them more than most people, though. You know, unless they're cheating on me with some Holden Caufiled woodshop wannabe." Maggie shrugged and Alex smiled brightly, hoping to come across as supportive and empathetic, "Anyway, thanks for stitching up Trevor, and for not ratting us out to your black baggers."

"I'd like to keep helping, if you'll let me." Alex tried to come off casually, but she couldn't shake this deep need to spend more time with the girl next to her. It was strange and foreign, this pull in the pit of her stomach, but she couldn't ignore it.

"Yeah," Maggie nodded, "I think that'd be good."

So now Alex found herself being let by the arm to a small alcove off a busy campus corridor.

"Hey," Maggie called to the boy Alex had recently stitched up. He'd lost the teal-ish tint to his skin and other than the stitching over his cheek, looked like any other anonymous student wandering the halls.

"Hey Sawyer. Danvers."

Alex waved and followed Maggie over to the boy. After craning her neck to examine his stitches, they agreed on a time to remove them and then came around to the piece of information about which Alex was most curious.

"Maggie said you remembered something about the night you were jumped."

"Yeah," Trevor's eyes grew wide and his face adopted a strange worried expression. "It wasn't just me. They said they needed me as a guinea pig. They wanted to make sure it worked."

"Make sure what worked?" Maggie pressed, gently.

"They had another alien. I had never seen one in person, but I'd heard stories. They had a Nylanus trapped in a cage, chained down, fifty times over."

"A Nylanus?" Maggie looked puzzled.

Instead of Trevor, it was Alex who supplied the answer to her query, "Aliens, trackers. They're used to find people and either bring them back or kill them quickly."

"It had these giant claws," Trevor's voice was shaking now, "And there was this mass of gnarled pink skin where it's eyes should've been." His face grew calm and cold, "but he passed their test."

"What do you mean?" Alex was almost afraid to ask.

"They gave him a piece of my clothes, put it in the cage with him. Then, just like that they let me go; opened the door, shoved me out, and told me I'd better run for it if I knew what was good for me." Trevor pushed the heel of his hand against his cheek to catch a tear before it could crawl down his face. "I got one, maybe two miles away before I even thought to stop. We were somewhere in the woods."

"Which woods?" Maggie piped up.

"I don't know. All I know is that it was cold, and dark. And they were laughing." Maggie placed a hand on the taller boy's shoulder, "They said I deserved what was coming for me. That all off-worlders did. Then the Nylanus found me. I don't know how, but it did. And it tried to rip me apart."

"How did you get away?" Alex could feel a twitch pull at her eye, every moment of this tale more infuriating than the last.

"I don't know. I woke up and someone had dumped me outside the dorms. And you now the rest."

"Right." Maggie nodded, "He called me, I called you, Danvers."

"Trevor, I'm so sorry and I know this is really hard, but did you recognize any of the boys who did this?"

"They wore masks, like, ski masks."

"How about their voices, had you hear them before?" Alex pressed.

"I think so. One had some sort of British accent and another, I don't know," he shook his head.

"It's okay, Trevor."

"Well, I think it was that guy Chet Miner who used to run with Lex Luthor's crew." He looked from Maggie to Alex, "but I can't be sure."

"That's enough to get us started, thank you so much for telling us all of that, Trevor," Alex placed a hand on his shoulder, "I know it wasn't easy."

* * *

Kara felt light, airy even. She had finished up with Lena, still slightly foggy-headed after their pseudo-interview. She was vaguely ecstatic, wondering if she might have found another person who knew what it meant to have a destiny. Someone who understood what it means to be a force for good, to create and embody something bigger than yourself. Kara truly hoped so.

She had decided to walk back to the dorms, declining Lena's offer to call her a car and was strolling through the streets, reeling at the way the evening had unfolded and naming the stars as they began to peak out of the night sky. Her concentration was interrupted, however, by the rustling of leaves coming from a nearby bush. She didn't need super hearing to know that whatever was making that noise was definitely bigger than a raccoon. She paused for a moment, wondering if she should pull on her suit when a large creature, bigger than any man she'd ever encountered, barreled from the thatch of trees. It was at least seven feet tall with long, sharp claws and a raw tangle of flesh where its eyes should be. It took a swipe at her and a jagged claw ripped through the shoulder of her sweater.

She jumped back, scrambling to get away from the razor sharp tips and suddenly felt a bit woozy. Kara wasn't accustomed to lethargy or the feeling of uncontrolled falling, but, regardless, she succumbed to them both and sank into a sea of black consciousness as the ground came up to catch her.


	9. Chapter 9: Forbidden

A/N: Hi guys! A few people have asked how old Kara and Alex are, and while I originally intended to set this in high school, I decided not to make them quite that young. Wilding is a college prep boarding school that hosts students from as young as 12 (if they're crazy prodigies) up to 22 or so. Alex is 21 and has been at Wilding for three years. Kara is 17 and stayed close to home for a few years before transferring in. Basically I just wanted Alex to be old enough to buy her own beer because Alex x alcohol is the real OTP... rivaled only by Kara x food. (And I know this chapter is lacking Lena, but the next won't be!)

As always, thank you so much for reading!

Chapter 9  
Forbidden

"Kara?" A voice echoed from somewhere in the darkness. There was a heavy feeling, a pressing, then a sting cut through the ether and Kara was brought sharply back to consciousness.

"Alex?" she shrank back at the sound of her own voice, thick and gravely.

"Oh my god, thank you." Alex sighed and clutched at her sister's hand.

Kara felt as if she were deep underwater. Sounds were muddled and the light, though dim, was far too bright. She squinted and Alex tilted the overhead lamp away from her face. She recognized the lab at the DEO but had never had the pleasure of viewing it from this particular angle. Kara was nestled into a tangle of wires that roped around and affixed themselves to various parts of her body. She rose and moved to pull them from her skin, but Alex staid her hand.

"We're still monitoring you."

"What happened?" Kara sank back in to the bed.

"You found the Nylani tracker. Or, rather, it found you." Alex moved to the monitor of one of the machines at Kara's bedside. "You were lucky the team was already tracking it. If we hadn't been nearby, this might have been much, much worse."

"But," Kara's face contorted in pain and she moved to grab at her shoulder. "How did this happen, Alex? I can stop bullets, but one swipe from that thing and I'm out?"

"There are toxins in his claws; certain species are more susceptible to its effects, and apparently Kryptonian is one of them." Alex rose, moving to sit on the bed next to her.

Kara's face registered confusion, "But how did they even break the skin?"

"Okay, so you know how car windshields are extra tough, it takes a lot to break them?"

Kara nodded, unsure of where this was going.

"Even though they're so strong, if you apply the right amount of pressure in a concentrated point, you can cause a crack or even shatter the glass. We figured something like that must've happened."

"His claws were the pebble that split my windshield?"

"Right, and even the smallest bit of toxins have an incredibly severe effect on your system and some must've gotten in through the cracks." Alex pulled the edge of a blanket through her fingers, fiddling as she spoke. "Interestingly enough, humans are immune."

"Good." Kara nodded, she didn't like the idea of her very human sister facing off with this thing.

"To the toxin, anyway, the rest of him is still pretty deadly." Alex almost laughed.

"But you got him, right?" The redhead's lips formed a tight line and her silence was answer enough. "Oh."

"I lost him when I doubled back to make sure you were okay. We're still trying to figure out what – or who – it wants, but we do know this: for an alien with no eyes, it is potentially lethal and it is fast."

Alex shifted and tucked one leg under the other. She was painfully aware that this was the second time in a month she and her sister had sat opposite one another in a hospital bed and it troubled her more than she cared to admit.

"Look," she inhaled in a short breath, "I haven't told Henshaw yet, but you're not the first person this thing has attacked."

"What?" Kara sat up and caught hold of Alex's arm to steady herself. She wasn't used to feeling this weak and she was definitely not enjoying it.

"Yeah, a week or so ago it attacked this Vitruskhan kid named Trevor. He's friends with Maggie and she asked me to stitch him up."

"Alex, why didn't you tell me?"

"I don't know?" The redhead gave a guilty shrug, "I mean, I was going to, but Maggie and I were tracking down leads and for a little while, it was nice to have something that was just mine."

Kara gave a half smile and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I get it, I really do," Kara's eyes were soft and sunny, "It's important to have things that are just for you." Her mind lighted momentarily on the previous evening spent over pizza and pop quizzes and her face settled into contentment.

"Yeah," Alex raised an eyebrow, "and we're definitely going to circle back to that because I have a few questions for you about your extra curriculars." Kara cocked her head but was cut off before she could follow up. "But in the meantime, I'll fill you in on what we know."

Alex recounted the story about Trevor and his captivity by the group known as Cadmus. Kara's fists tightened at hearing the slurs and insults hurled at the off-world boy and the machine monitoring her heart rate chirped erratically for a few seconds.

"So we know they're evil." Kara huffed, angrily, "and we know they hate aliens."

"And we know they're using a really dangerous one to hunt for someone or something. But who?"

"It could be me, but why? I haven't been active that long and no one really knows that Supergirl is an off-worlder" Kara knit her brow in thought. "So I guess we need to figure out if they're trying to track someone or kill someone?"

"Either way, that's a hell of a way to go about it."

"Alex, what are we going to do?"

"Well, you're going to rest a bit and then you're going to go to your classes and passing your chemistry test Friday."

"What?" Kara whined.

"Oh, and while we're on the subject – "

"Of school?" the blonde wrinkled her nose.

"Of chemistry. What's going on with you and Lena Luthor?" Alex's face was the definition of concern.

"Lena? Nothing. Absolutely nothing." Kara sputtered defensively, "Why? Wh– why do you ask?"

Alex was stifling a giggle now, "No reason. You just said her name a few times while you were passed out, I just – "

"Oh, she was the last person I saw last night, that must've been why." Kara refused to mention the dreams she'd had while incapacitated; dreams that featured Lena in the staring role that were frightening in any number of ways.

"She was?" Alex put a stopper on her teasing for a moment.

"Yeah, we were studying. She's tutoring me."

"Lena." Alex pushed, "Lena Luthor."

"Yes. Why? What's wrong?" Kara placed a hand over Alex's and her sister quickly withdrew it. "I thought you were okay with Lena."

"I am. It's probably nothing. It's just something that Vitruskhan kid said." Alex pushed up from the bed, halting and sudden. Her sister's tone was dismissive, but she certainly didn't give the impression that she truly thought it was "nothing". "That some of the guys who jumped him ran with Lex's old crew."

"I guarantee Lena doesn't know anything about Lex's old crew." Kara shook her head as Alex took a few steps away from the bed. "I had to stop a couple of those jerks from messing with her the first week of school."

Alex turned and crossed back to Kara, "Which ones?"

"Why?"

"I – It may be important, Kara! Which boys?" Alex almost snapped at her.

"Um, Chet Miner and I think the other one's name was Corben?" Kara shrank, taken aback by Alex's harsh tenor.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I literally caught a punch from Miner intended for Lena. Those guys are creeps."

"Stay away from them Kara," Alex turned from her sister, "And stay away from Lena Luthor too."

"Alex!" Kara pleaded, "She's not a part of this. I know you're wary because she's a Luthor, but I know she's a good person. You have to believe me."

"You're too trusting, Kara! Most of the time it's endearing, but in this situation, it could get you killed."

"I know her Alex." Kara shook her head; she was upset now. "You don't."

Alex looked back from the corner of her narrowed eyes. "What's really going on with you and Lena?" Her tone was surprisingly biting.

Kara's face became placid, her tone flat. "Nothing." She watched as Alex crossed to the doorway, "What's really going on with you and Maggie?"

"Nothing."

Alex crossed the threshold and left the room.

* * *

"Hey, Kara!" James caught up with the blonde, not without some effort, as she hurried down the campus corridor.

"Oh, hey James. What's up?"

"I wanted to talk to you about maybe doing an interview for the Gazette." He trotted alongside her as she fumed, still slightly singed from her exchange with Alex. "You know, about the attack on Wednesday. I mean, if you're up for it, of course."

After her exchange with Alex, Kara had slept for almost an entire day, missing her Thursday classes. She was anxious about her impending chemistry test and while James was usually a welcome distraction she was less than thrilled that everyone seemed to know about the events of Wednesday evening. She had barely set foot out of her dorm room before students began bombarding her with questions about the attack. No one knew that it had been an alien, or any real information, but they all knew a student had been attacked and were hungry for details. It seemed Henshaw had purposefully planted a few rumors, not wanting to tip the DEO's hand of course, but leaking just enough information to ensure there was a heightened level of wariness around the campus, for safety's sake.

"Oh James, I don't know. There's not a lot to tell, it all happened so fast."

"Yeah." He nodded, "yeah, that's what I heard."

"He just came out of nowhere, attacked and then disappeared again, seriously." Kara hugged a short stack of intimidating books to her chest and drew her lips into a thin, straight line.

"I'm surprised Supergirl didn't swoop in and intervene. It seems like she's been everywhere these days"

"I'm not so sure Supergirl would have faired any better." Kara blew out a defeated breath and slowed her pace a bit.

"I bet she would have done alright. She's tough."

"You say that like you know her."

"After all the press she's been getting lately, I sort of feel like I do." James shrugged and Kara noticed a cheeky grin play across his face. "Anyway, I know that whatever it is that attacked you? She'll stop it. She's pretty smart. Usually." He raised an eyebrow at her.

Kara's face drew in tightly and she glanced uncertainly up at James. "Usually?"

"Yeah, I heard she needed some help in chemistry, but –"

He choked on the end of his sentence and found himself suddenly pressed into a corner by a solid, but gentle, hand against his chest. James had never seen Kara's face come together in such a complicated mess of anger and distress.

"How?" She demanded.

"Clark." James gasped, the wind knocked from his lungs. "Kal-El. Your cousin! He told me. Asked me to keep an eye on you." His sentences were clipped as he attempted to find the most direct route to relive the pressure on his sternum. Kara stepped back, releasing him and he breathed a deep rattling breath.

"I'm sorry." She backed away from him, allowing him the space he needed to catch his breath. "I knew you and Clark were friends, but I didn't know you were that close."

"Yeah" James rubbed his breastbone gingerly, "I found out pretty early one. The first clear shot of him that they posted in the Planet was one of mine. He trusts me." James met her eyes, "and I hope you will too." He opened his arms, an offering of friendship.

Kara nodded thoughtfully and stepped into the circle of his arms. He gave her a gentle squeeze.

"Anything you need, as Kara or Supergirl, just ask."

"Thanks James." She stepped back, smiling, "Sorry about the whole... slamming... thing."

"No problem," he wheezed dramatically and they both laughed until they couldn't breathe.

* * *

Alex's fist slammed into the heavy bag with a dull smacking sound. She wound up for another swing and grunted as it connected, hard and strong. She pushed her hair back from her sweat-slick forehead and shifted her weight from left to right before swinging again.

"Geez, Danvers," a voice from over her right shoulder chimed. "What's got your goat?"

Alex turned, her concentration broken, to face the shorter brunette. There was that stupid leather jacket again. She couldn't help the wistful smile that seemed to live on her face whenever she heard her name pass Maggie's lips.

"Got my goat?"

"What? Is that not something the kids say these days?" Maggie's smirk was hopelessly infectious.

"Uh, no." Alex steadied the bag, still swaying slightly from her last jab. "And it's nothing. Well, actually, it's a lot of things. It's Kara and you and Cadmus and my job. It's – I've got a lot on my plate and when it gets too loud in here," she tapped her temple with the padded knuckle of her glove, "I tend to take it out here." She knocked the punching bag bag and sent it creaking on its chain.

"Well, maybe I can help." Maggie sidled up to Alex, passing impossibly close to Alex before rounding to position herself behind the bag, holding it firmly in place.

"Maggie, you don't have to do this. I'll figure it out on my own."

"I know you will, but maybe humor me, just this once. C'mon Danvers, let's see what you got." Maggie braced herself and Alex, squaring her shoulders, hammered hard into the bag, reigning a series of blows that would have made Henshaw proud. "Good," Maggie called encouragingly, "Now tell me what's going on between you and Kara."

"What?" Alex paused, almost losing her balance. She wasn't expecting this. Punching, yes. Talking, no.

"Maggie, I –"

"Just try it, Danvers. Talk to me." Her face found an expression somewhere between warmth and insistence and Alex sighed, shaking her head.

"It's all tied up together. Everything is all a big tangled mess."

"Then pick a strand and follow it out, then pick another."

"Okay," She swung and hit the bag with impressive force. "Kara, she's hanging out with Lena," swing, "Luthor," connect.

"You don't like Lena?"

"I don't trust Lena," another jab. "Kara was with her right before she got attacked, and said she mixed it up with two of those possible Cadmus guys over Lena. Lex Luthor's guys." She brought a knee up and connected with brute force. "It seems suspicious."

"Mm" Maggie hummed, bracing herself against another knee to the bag.

Alex's had removed the sling from her injured right arm earlier and started stretching it out. It felt stiff and a bit under-used, but otherwise fine. What they thought was a break was actually a smaller fracture and whatever Henshaw had given her had healed it up quickly. She tapped the bag tentatively with her right fist before adding it, gingerly into her assault against the bag.

"And Kara said this thing about you that just – I mean, who does she think she is?"

"What did she say?"

"Well, it wasn't so much what she said as how she said it." Alex gave a tentative tap with her right hand.

"Okay, how did she say... whatever it was she said?"

"Well, I told her to stay away from Lena."

"That was dumb."

"You're not helping. Anyway, she was getting super defensive, so I asked her what was really going on with her and Lena." A soft right cross, "and then she says, 'nothing, what's really going on with you and Maggie?'" A hard left jab connected with the bag and Maggie rocked back on her heels a bit, momentarily losing her grip.

"And what did you say?"

"Nothing! I said nothing was going on and then I left." Alex caught the bag as it swing slightly toward her and peered around it. "I mean, I like you and we're friends, like really good friends. Like, you're tough and you're smart, of course I want to spend time with you."

"But you're not into girls."

"I –" Alex stammered. Letting the bag nudge her back a step. She thought he knew the answer to this not-quite question, but when it came down to it, all she could muster was a weak, "I'm not."

"Right. You're into guys like Max Lord."

"What?" Alex pulled a face, "Max Lord? That was – No."

"Alex the whole school saw him all over you last year. It was literally all anyone could talk about for months."

Alex's stomach turned and she crossed to sit on the hard wooden bench a few feet from Maggie. "That was, I don't know what that was. He was smart and charming –"

"And a total ass." Maggie bit into the spiteful words.

"Yes, sometimes. But it felt nice to be pursued like that." Alex wrapped her hands around her middle, a physical reaction she knew she and Kara both used when they were feeling vulnerable. "But it never felt... right."

"Has it ever? With any guy?"

Alex paused. She drew a long, pensive breath in and then pushed it out.

"No."

She carefully pulled up the Velcro of her gloves and slipped them off. She was done punching, done fighting. Alex could feel Maggie's dark eyes on her as she started to pick at the tape around her hands and fingers.

"I have always worked to be the best. Get the best grades, go to the best school, push myself to graduate fast so I could train to be the best agent. Be the best sister, taking care of Kara. But the one thing I could never make work was my love life. I used to think there was something wrong with me, that I just wasn't built for that sort of thing. But then I look at you and I can't believe how I feel when I'm around you. It's like... sunshine. I'm happier – I feel... more – when I'm with you than any other guy I've been with. With anyone I've ever known."

"But you're not gay."

She answered slowly, not quite believing the word as she said it. "No."

"You'd be surprised how many gay women I've heard that from." Maggie quipped and Alex flinched.

"Look, I appreciate the help, but I really think I need to figure this all out on my own."

"Danvers." Maggie stepped toward her and Alex put her hands up in defense.

"I have to go." Alex backed toward the locker rooms before turning her back on the dark haired girl "I'll see you around, Sawyer."


	10. Chapter 10: Other

A/N: Sorry for the wait, and, as always, thanks for the comments and for sticking with me!

Chapter 10  
Other

Kara breathed a deep sigh of relief as she pushed the classroom door open and stepped out into the empty hallway. Her chemistry test was over and she felt such an immediate and immense sense of relief that she blew right passed the figure leaning against the wall just outside the door.

"Kara!"

The blonde skidded to a stop and did an about-face, "Lena? What are you doing here? Don't you have class?"

"I do, but I wanted to see you." Lena fidgeted, playing with a bracelet on her left wrist, "And I wanted to make sure you were okay. I hadn't heard from you, then I overheard someone say you were attacked." Lena's eyes were on her wrist, her dark hair hung around her like a curtain making it impossible for Kara to read her face.

"I'm fine." Kara reached out to stroke Lena's arm but the other girl shied away, raising her eyes and pushing her hair away from her face.

"Of course you are." Uncertain Green eyes betrayed the bright smile, "More importantly, I wanted to know how you did in there. You know, on your test."

"Oh!" Kara's face settled into smug determination, "I _nailed_ it!"

She jumped as the girl opposite her practically squealed in delight then leaped into her arms, treating her to an enthusiastic hug. Kara reciprocated with aplomb and when they pulled apart, the dark-haired girl's hand lingered at Kara's temple, fingers threading through the golden hair framing her face.

"I'm so proud. I knew you could do it." Lena's fingers brushed down to her jaw and Kara practically leaned into the touch, relishing the contact and catching the girl's hand in her own before Lena could pull it away. Green eyes widened and a smile played across rosy lips.

This wasn't the first time Kara had found herself caught up in the thrill of Lena's touch. For a moment her mind wandered back to their last evening together: the night of the attack. Lena had allowed Kara to interview her and afterward they'd ended up shoulder-to-shoulder, knee-to-knee on the same side of the booth, both having gone back to their respective studies.

Kara had become painfully aware of the way Lena's thigh was pressing against hers and was finding it difficult to concentrate. She had raised her eyes from her work time and again to find Lena staring, unabashedly, sometimes biting her lower lip, and it was often more than she could bear. Normally, this sort of attention would have made her uncomfortable, but for some reason, it instead made her feel a bit reckless, spoiled and bold. Initially, Lena had just stolen glances, looking away when Kara caught her eye. But lately the fleeting glances lingered and became protracted moments of held eye contact, often broken when Kara could no longer contain her blush and she demurred with a shy laugh.

When they had first started their foray into tutoring, they kept an entire table between them, but the more time they spent with one another the smaller the in-between spaces became. At first Lena would only maneuver next to her to demonstrate a process or solve a problem, moving back to her side of the table once she had finished. A few days later they were sharing the same side of a booth then suddenly they were sharing each other's personal space, until eventually there was no space between them at all.

Kara didn't have a wealth of experience against which to compare her relationship with Lena, but she was fairly certain they were swiftly pushing past friendship, through to something else. It was exhilarating and, surprisingly, something Kara felt herself wanting more and more with each passing day. But it was also more than a little frightening. She had initially found herself drawn to the intense brunette due to her sharp mind, her penchant for poring over large books, and her unwavering strength of character, especially in the face of adversity. But the more time she and Lena spent together, the deeper the roots of her esteem grew. She wasn't particularly surprised when they blossomed into true affection and now Kara couldn't help the way her heart rattled in her chest every time she caught Lena staring, the way her skin warmed at every point of contact.

After a particularly illuminating study session, she found herself ruminating on the downturn of Lena's lips, wondering what it might be like to taste them. She blushed at the thought and waited for the inevitable wave of shame to crash over her, but none came. Instead, she was filled with hope. To be fair, relationships between two women or two men hadn't been uncommon on Krypton and she while she hadn't really considered it for herself, she felt very little of the stigmatization and guilt which seemed to plague so many on this planet. True, people could be unkind toward one another, passing judgment and condemning choices, but when it came to mutual respect and adoration - and maybe even love - how could that be wrong?

And so she now found herself at the mercy of Lena's lingering gazes, her soft touches, the way she sat just a bit too close. It was a pleasant sort of torture and even though Kara continued making a conscious effort to focus on her work, she couldn't resist the urge to look over at the girl at her side.

Lena was staring again from under thoughtful eyebrows, feigning work, but neglecting to keep eyes on her own paper and Kara's cheeks grew hot under her appraisal.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to make you uncomfortable."

"You – you're not. I'm not. Uncomfortable, I mean." Kara shifted, mildly flustered, and instantly regretted the sudden cool of the space between them.

"I just can't help it, sometimes. I know it sounds strange, but sometimes I just can't seem to reconcile you here with me."

Kara tilted her head to one side as a shy smile pulled at the corner of her mouth. "I don't know if I understand what you mean."

Lena turned to face her completely and Kara had the distinct impression the she was to be privy to information not often shared.

"I've spent most of my life feeling like an outsider. Feeling..." Lena paused, contemplating the right word, "other."

Kara nodded, while she had been careful not to reveal too much of herself, still too wary and with no interest in lying to Lena more than she had to, they had spoken at length about Lena's upbringing. Her adoption into the sterile Luthor household. The way Lex had taken her under his wing, how her adoptive mother's scorn acted as the spur in her side, pushing Lena to be a better version of herself. Initially, she had hoped to earn her mother's esteem, but after accepting the impossibility of ever achieving that goal, her focus shifted. Now she was using every advantage the Luthor name afforded her to create a brighter future for all.

"It used to bother me when I was younger. How I would never be a _true_ Luthor, never measure up to Lex, never live the right way, never love the right way. I may as well have been from another planet." Lena pulled a long strand of hair from over her shoulder and began weaving it through her fingers, absentmindedly, "I often felt like I was watching myself from outside my body, never really fitting in anywhere, with anyone."

Kara radiated empathy and reached over to take Lena's hand. She wanted so much to share her own experiences, to make sure that Lena knew she wasn't alone in these feelings, but she felt it prudent to remain silent for the time being. Simply listening was enough for now.

"You go so long feeling alien and you start to think, 'alright, this is my new normal, it's not so bad.' You just work harder and try to adapt to being alone. You stop worrying over the fact that no one truly sees you and, instead, focus your energy on becoming someone they can't ignore." Kara dropped her gaze to their hands, fingers tangled, as tears clung to the corners of Lena's frosty green eyes. "and eventually you forget that you ever needed anything from anyone at all.

"But then, suddenly, here _you_ are." Lena's face opened into a sincere smile and Kara's heart staggered for a beat. "You're so effortlessly kind and welcoming. You don't seem to care that I'm a Luthor, which is, frankly, unbelievable. You're gorgeous and smart and unflinchingly brave." Lena tone adopted a quiet intensity. "When I'm sitting with you, talking, laughing, I forget that I've ever felt alone. I don't know how, but it's like you're my own personal sun, radiating warmth after so many years of cold gray days."

The sheer volume of flattery overwhelmed Kara; she flushed pink and ducked her head, but refused to release Lena's hand from her grasp.

"It's amazing and terrifying. I'm so addicted to the way I feel around you. I feel," Lena paused thoughtfully, "I feel _seen_. And it all feels so easy." The dark-haired girl settled into a pregnant pause.

Kara weighed the silence between them and spoke, measured and gentle, "It is. Easy, I mean. You're easy to talk to, to be with. You're the brave one, standing up to your brother even though it meant you'd be alone. You're amazingly driven and so… sure of yourself. You stand tall, even when you stand all alone." Kara flushed an anticipatory shade of crimson. "Being with you is easy, it's leaving that's difficult."

It was Lena's turn to blush now and Kara relished the sight as the most delicate shade of rosy pink bloomed across pale cheeks.

"I know I don't talk about myself much - at least not beyond the silly day to day stuff - but please believe me when I say I understand exactly how you feel." Kara felt the slightest squeeze as Lena's fingers curled more tightly into her own.

"I find it impossible to imagine you ever feeling alone or out of place." Lena brought her free hand down and traced absentminded patterns on the back of Kara's coupled hand.

"You weren't always a Luthor," Kara paused and Lena nodded, encouraging her to continue. "Well, I wasn't always a Danvers. Maybe that's why we understand each other so well. I came to my foster family very late, and from very far away. Everything was different: the people, the attitudes, even the language; nothing made sense. Alex and I didn't initially see eye to eye. I was strange and always embarrassing her with questions whose answers she thought should be obvious. And I got her in trouble a lot.

"You seem so close now."

"We are, but that closeness was hard won. It was difficult for me to adjust, it still is sometimes. Alex has become one of the few things to ground me here. Every good part of me, every bright spot, I was able to find again because she made me feel loved."

"That's how I used to feel about Lex. It's important to have that anchor, even for a little while." Kara nodded and couldn't help it as her eyes slid along the down-curve of Lena's lips as she spoke. She was suddenly conscious of the warmth pooling in her stomach and silently begged her body to calm as she continued.

"Alex left for Wilding but my foster mother, Eliza, wanted to keep me close to home for a little while longer, to give me more time to acclimate before leaving for boarding school." Kara shrugged a bit, "I understood her logic, but high school was hard without Alex. Most of the kids thought I was weird, and I didn't really understand how to get along with them. And if making friends was hard, the idea of anything beyond friendship was impossible. The thought didn't even occur to me until a boy asked to be my partner on an English project. He was all flattery and _so_ forward, Eliza ended up having to pull me aside to explain that he liked me, after that I was so hopelessly awkward. I don't know how or why Mike ever put up with me."

"I have a feeling he had his reasons, even then." The youngest Luthor looked a bit green about the gills at this new development, but continued to maintain constant contact with both fingertips and intensely focused eyes.

"I suppose, but he never really understood me, never got to know me. He never really asked and I never really offered."

"Then he's an idiot." Lena almost laughed.

"Yeah, I didn't feel too bad about leaving him back in Midvale." Kara laughed too, "But I guess it didn't really matter. I didn't care if he knew me or not. But I care now." Kara pushed a stray strand of hair from her face, which fell immediately back into her eyes, and adopted a somewhat awkward tone. She couldn't seem to hold Lena's gaze any longer, "I care. A lot. I'm not even sure why I care so much now; all I know is that I do. I want you to know me and I want to know you." She shrugged, a bit uncomfortable at the way words were falling from her mouth with little regard for inhibition, "I'm sorry if that's weird," ending her clumsy flood of emotion with a rushed apology.

"It's not weird." The green-eyed girl smiled and reached over to run lithe fingers along Kara's temple, tucking the hair that had fallen back into the blonde's face behind her ear. Kara hoped Lena couldn't feel how hot her skin burned under the attention. "You want to be seen."

"I do, but I think-," Kara stammered, struggling to find the right words, "I think I want more than that, too. I know I do. I - I want to be known."

To this, Lena gave no reply. She simply threaded her fingers into the blonde hair along the nape of Kara's neck and drew her subtly closer. Kara mirrored the action, weaving fingers through the raven silk of Lena's hair.

Lena shifted toward her and brushed her lips against the blonde's cheek, sending a shiver up Kara's spine. Her heart was a bird rattling against the cage of her ribs and she found herself unable to move, afraid that if she did, it would break whatever spell had been cast. The brunette placed another gentle kiss along Kara's jawline and whispered a barely audible, "Is this alright?"

The Kryptonian could only nod, dumbly, as Lena drew back, only to push forward once more, this time capturing Kara's lips in a soft sweet kiss that seemed to stoke an internal fire Kara had never known was alight.

The flame flared within, threatening to burn her from the inside out and she found herself pulling Lena closer, deepening the kiss, teasing toward indecency. She pushed up, pressing her body flush with the Lena's, parting her lips, hungrily inviting more contact. It was decadent and altogether too much for a public establishment. They broke apart in a gasp as the reality of their surroundings came crashing down around them.

"Well," a saucy smirk played around Lena's lips, "That was unexpected."

"Unexpected... good?" Kara asked hopefully.

"Defintely." Lena's smile was as wide as Kara had ever seen it, "and something I could get used to, I think."

Kara had practically floated home that night, it was no wonder the alien tracker had managed to get the drop on her. And then between her hospital stay and Alex's harsh warning to stay away, she had been too broken and then too conflicted to immediately seek out the brunette.

It seemed Lena was now picking up on her hesitance, standing awkwardly in front of the chemistry classroom, interpreting it as regret. Kara watched the light dim from the bright green eyes and was hasty to show Lena that she was, indeed, very much wanted and that circumstance, not lack of desire, had been the only thing separating them. She pressed her cheek into Lena's palm as they stood in the corridor, the occasional student sidestepping them.

"I'm so sorry I didn't let you know I was okay, it was stupid of me. I just – first there was the hospital, and then I got into it with Alex and –"

"It's totally alright," Lena interrupted, "you really don't owe me anything, Kara."

Kara's heart almost broke at the girl's tone; it was sad, almost resigned. They had had an amazing, revelatory evening and then some stupid alien attack had taken her away. And what's more, Lena seemed to simply take this in stride. Kara realized her friend must think this was just fulfilling some pattern, the closeness and the inevitable desertion. She refused to let Lena think that love, or whatever it was they shared, came hand in hand with disappointment.

"I do, though. I owe you so much." Kara leaned down and there, without reservation, she kissed Lena Luthor, a kiss that she hoped conveyed all the hope and intention she had for their potential future, deep and slow.

They separated and Kara relished the stupid smile now plastered across Lena's face. It seemed adorably out of place and she wanted more.

"Alright then. We should celebrate!" Lena was excited now, threading her fingers through Kara's as they turned to walk down the hall. "How about Canton House on Folsom, tonight? My treat."

"Oh man!" Kara leaned over and kissed the dark haired girl on the cheek, "I'm going to make you regret that offer."

"I'm not worried. If you bankrupt me over potstickers, I'm sure you'll find some way to make it up to me."

"I already owe you so much, though." Kara whined playfully.

"I'm sure we can come to some sort of arrangement, Miss Danvers."

Kara wasn't sure she would ever stop smiling. She had a beautiful girl on her arm and the blissful ignorance of one unaware of the danger looming just on the horizon.


	11. Chapter 11: Self Preservation

Chapter 11  
Self Preservation

"Alex, I know you're in there." Kara huffed, pacing the short width of the hallway, hands balled into fists that continued to tap against her thighs. She lowered her glasses and squinted toward the heavy apartment door, "I can see you!"

"Go away, Kara."

"Alex, please. I need to talk to you."

"So talk." Alex barked at the door and took a larger than necessary swig of whiskey, swirling it absentmindedly in her glass.

Kara could hear the soft clink of ice in the glass and slid down Alex's door, siting with her back pushed against it. She could easily fly around to her sister's balcony, but for some reason, she felt it might be better to allow Alex her space for the moment. She also knew that while they needed to fix the disagreement they'd had earlier, doing so might involve talking about Lena and Kara wasn't quite sure how to do that yet. All she knew was that she completely regretted the barb she shot at Alex about Maggie. The blonde had a feeling her sister was harboring something unspoken for her own dark haired girl and Kara hated that she may have made Alex feel anything other than unconditionally supported.

"I-," Kara called through the door, "I'm so sorry." She felt a bit silly yelling her remorse into an empty hallway, but if that's what Alex needed right now, she would do it all night. "Please, Alex. Please forgive me."

There was a protracted pause and she could hear Alex set down her drink on the glass-topped coffee table. "Sorry for what?"

"For getting defensive and angry. I know you were just looking out for me." She heard the light creak of springs and the metallic click of the lock turning. Clamoring to her feet as the door opened, she took in the sight of a decidedly disheveled Alex.

"I'm always looking out for you Kara. Always." There was no contempt in her voice, but rather it had a sort of pleading quality. Kara crossed the threshold and gathered her sister into a gentle hug.

"I know, I know," she stroked the short cropped red hair and realized that Alex was crying gently. "Hey, hey, it's okay." She pulled back and lead Alex back inside to the couch she had just vacated. Kara noticed the more-than-half-empty bottle of whiskey on the counter and sank down next to her sister "What's going on Alex?"

"I don't know?" the redhead had pulled the long sleeve of her black shirt over her hand and was now using it to push angry tears from her cheeks. "I guess I'm confused about something."

Kara paused to give her sister space to think. Folded in on herself and nestled into the corner of the couch, Alex looked so small. Kara wasn't used to seeing her sister so vulnerable.

"And I'm mad at you. And I'm mad that I'm mad at you because I really need my sister right now!"

"I know, and I'm so sorry." Kara placed a comforting hand on Alex's knee, "With everything that's been happening with me, I haven't really given you the space to talk about what's going on with you. But you know that whatever it is, you can tell me." Kara wrapped an arm around Alex shoulder. "Even if you're mad at me, I will always be here for you."

"I just," she struggled for words, staring ahead as if reading them in the air, "It's about Maggie, I guess." Tension twisted in her shoulders and Kara rubbed comforting circles attempting to combat the strain. "No. No, It's about me."

"Okay." Kara stilled next to her sister and waited patiently for Alex to continue.

"Well, you know Maggie and I have been spending time together. First it was just hanging out and then tracking down leads on Cadmus. Well, somewhere between the card games and the detective work I guess I started to develop... feelings for her."

Kara said nothing, but raised a knowing eyebrow.

"Yeah, those sort of feelings. And she, of course, called me on it and I denied it. But then," Alex ran a nervous hand through her hair, "I stopped to think and," Alex paused, shaking her head in disbelief, "There's more than a little truth to what she said about me. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized, I've had these feelings before."

Alex was crying in earnest now pushing tears back and laughing uncomfortably as she spoke.

"But not like this, never like this. Before, they were pushed down, so deep inside, and now? " she trailed off, unable to complete that line of thinking. "Now, they're right under the surface and I don't know what to do. I don't know how to feel. I'm going crazy, but I've also never felt more sane and grounded. It's like I've finally unlocked this part of myself and everything is suddenly making sense."

Kara said nothing, but moved to wrap her arms around her older sister. Alex allowed herself to be enveloped, continuing to speak into Kara's shoulder, her voice muffled and wet.

"I want so much to be who I truly am, but I'm so scared that if I do, I'll disappoint everyone. And Kara, I don't know what I'd do if you were disappointed in me."

At this, Kara drew back to wipe an errant tear as it trailed down Alex's ruddy cheek, "I could never be disappointed in you. I would be sad, though, if you felt like you couldn't be true to yourself out of fear. I want so much for you to be happy and if Maggie – if this journey – is part of that happiness, then I support you 100%."

"Good, because I don't think I could do this without you." Alex collapsed into her arms again, halfway between relieved laughter and tears and Kara stroked her hair, soothing her.

"You don't have to." Kara's voice was honeyed and gentle as she held her sister for a quiet moment. Then, "Tell me about Maggie, what do you like about her?"

Alex laughed and pushed tears from her eyes as she straightened up. "She – she's smart, and she's tough, and she's" Alex paused and hugged her arms across her chest, "she's beautiful."

"So are you." Kara stared at her sister, lovingly cataloging a look she'd never before seen Alex wear. It was wistful, it was love.

The rattle of Alex's cell on the coffee table rudely interrupted their shared moment and the agent snatched it up, knitting her brow over the text on the screen.

"There's a potential alien activity reported over on 34th and J."

"That's right next to where I'm heading, I'll check it out on my way." Kara hoped Alex didn't press her further regarding her plans. She fully acknowledged the great strides her sister had taken with her that evening and didn't want to diminish their importance by announcing her relationship with Lena. Not to mention the fact that Alex still wasn't particularly keen on the Luthor heir.

"I'll get the alien, you get the girl."

The blonde rose from the couch and gave Alex a final squeeze before taking off into the twilight.

* * *

Kara would never in a million years get over the exhilaration of flying at top speeds. The wind whipped past her and had anyone below looked up, she would have been nothing but a blur of dusky blue and red.

"Hey! How's it going up there, Supergirl?" Winn chirped happily in her ear. "Did you and Alex make up?"

"Nosey!" Kara laughed and slowed as she approached her destination.

"For the sake of everyone at the DEO, I hope so. Alex has been a bear since your little squabble."

She pulled up her hood and made sure the red swath of fabric used to cover her face, up to the eyes, was securely in place, before dropping down to the pavement in the middle of a modest little promenade. She hated the idea of hiding her face, but liked that doing so made Alex worry less when she was out on maneuvers. The team had originally been at a loss on what to use, since Kara flatly refused every mask proposed, when she received a package from her cousin containing the long red strip of material. It had been part of Kal-El's baby blanket, sent with him from Krypton, and he'd wanted her to have it. "For luck" the card read. It had also mentioned how proud he was of her and Kara couldn't help but beam at the sentiment.

She touched down gently, warranting a few sidelong glances. There were a few boutiques, a smattering of cafés, and a quaint bookstore crowded along either side of well-lit, tree-lined streets. She was relatively familiar with the area, not only was her favorite Chinese food place – where she was supposed to be meeting Lena – just a few blocks away, but the café next to the bookstore was one of her favorite places to work on her articles for the paper.

"Okay, Winn, where is this thing?"

"Targeting now." Winn went radio silent for a moment, then, "Uh, Supergirl?"

"What is it?" Kara knew the tone in Winn's voice indicated that something just went sideways.

"I just hacked into the security feeds and the alien you're looking for..." He gulped, audibly, "It's the Nylani tracker."

Kara blew out a frustrated sigh, "Where." It wasn't a question.

"It was down the alley near Brewed Awakening; the feeds lost it about 30 seconds after you landed."

Kara, aware that a few people had noticed her and were now pointing and taking pictures, gave a curt wave before starting toward the alley. She had barely gone a few steps, though, before a familiar face in the bookstore window caught her eye.

"Lena!" she almost cursed under her breath.

"You okay, SG?" Winn's voice was saturated with worry.

"Yeah, I - ," She looked up, noticing a shadowy figure above the shop, "Winn, I think I know who he's after. Can you run a report of all the recent alien activity in the area over the last seven days?"

"Can I!" he answered enthusiastically. "Yes I can. In the meantime, be careful, okay?"

Kara launched into the air and touched down behind a large vent on a rooftop adjacent to the bookshop. From this vantage point, she was able to clearly make out the hulking shape of the alien tracker. It was pacing along the front of the roof. She could almost swear it could see as it wove back and forth with a grace she'd not previously though it capable.

She took a moment to get a good look at the alien on the roof, their previous encounter having been much too quick for any real observation. It was at least seven feet tall and reminded her of a humongous rat or maybe even a werewolf with it's think coat of coarse brown fur. It was top heavy, Barrel-chested and muscle-bound. Its head, proportionally on the small side, sported a long, threatening snout that rippled with excess skin, framed by a gnarled tangle of pink flesh that reminded Kara of those delicately curling glass sculptures sold in mid-range art galleries where its eyes ought to be.

Occasionally, it would duck its head toward the ground and breathe in, deep and frenzied. Kara thought briefly of a time when bounty hunters on Krypton had employed the use of a Nylani tracker to hunt down criminals destined for Fort Rozz. They kept it restrained and sedated, stating that the overwhelming number of scents would drive the beast to madness. What the Nylanus lacked in vision, it more than made up for with its excellent sense of smell.

Suddenly, the beast on the roof across from her perked up a bit and its head whipped toward her. She had the uneasy feeling of exposure, certain it could see her watching from the shadows, though not quite sure how. She had only a moment to leap from the roof as it barreled toward her at high speed, vaulting the gap over the alley with ease. Kara landed on the pavement below with a dull thud, leaving a small divot in the gray cement and rolled out of the way as the Nylanus followed suit.

Kara found her footing and the beast loomed over her for a split second before it was once again distracted by its primary target. Kara moved around the giant figure to see what had drawn its focus: Lena Luthor had chosen that moment to exit the bookshop and was now squarely in the sights of the alien tracker, so to speak.

Kara didn't think; there wasn't time. She launched herself at the beast, wrapping her arms around its mid-section, driving both of them through the wall of a boutique selling overpriced cotton basics. Rubble rained down upon them and she loosened her grip only after she felt the sickening snap of a rib and the body in her arms went slack. She pushed a large beam off them and, after checking that the alien was, at least temporarily, down for the count, she brushed dust and debris from her shoulder.

"Winn, we need a team here ASAP."

"Already on their way. They should be there any second."

"Tell them to hurry up, I don't imagine this guy is going to stay down for long." Before she finished her sentence she hear the grind of metal and creak of wood. The tracker was recovering. Kara darted out of the crumbling building and back toward the bookstore where Lena was still pinned, shocked and frozen.

"Ms. Luthor," Kara spoke, hoping her voice conveyed strength and confidence rather than the protective panic she was choking down, "are you alright?"

"Su-Supergirl." Lena stuttered, "I – thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet." Kara quipped, a line she'd always wanted to use. Despite her terror, she couldn't deny she was sort of enjoying playing the hero. She turned in time to watch the alien burst from the wreckage, angry and searching. It locked on to Kara and Lena and snorted, hot and full of rage. They both watched as it threw open it's arms, splaying it's blade-like claws and Kara lost the bravado she'd had just seconds before. Those claws were a real threat and she knew it.

She charged forward, placing her body between the beast and Lena and braced herself. She focused her energy and felt the mask of her eyes grow warm, then white hot, as a flash of heat vision hit the tracker in the shoulder, singeing it's shaggy mat of fur, the skin beneath blackening with a sickening crackle. It staggered for a moment and Kara shot another blast at its center, knocking it off its feet momentarily. She took her opportunity and launched into the air, then, when she was at least one hundred feet above the Nylanus, she shot down at a speed even she hadn't reached until this point, connecting with the beast and driving him deep into a now crumbling pit of dirt and asphalt. He twitched for a moment, then his head, gruesome and gored, lolled to the side. She froze for a moment, watching the tension leave its body before exhaling the breath she'd been mentally holding.

Kara shot up from the pit and landed with a trot, next to the still-stunned Lena Luthor, she bent at the waist and placed her hands on her knees, exhaling for a brief moment before rising up to meet Lena's gaze.

"Miss Luthor, we should probably get you out of here. I don't know what that thing wants with you, but I do know that it's you he wants."

The look on Lena's face was momentarily impossible to place, her bright green eyes shone wide and though her mouth was open, aghast, she was smiling. She wrapped her wool overcoat – a flattering, bright shade of fuchsia – tighter around herself and took a step toward Kara, or rather, toward Supergirl. Even now, Kara felt flush, and she knew it was less to do with the adrenaline coursing through her veins and more to do with her proximity to Lena.

"I really can't thank you enough, Supergirl."

"It was nothing, Miss Luthor."

"I – I guess I just wouldn't expect a Super to stick her neck out for a Luthor." Lena took another step forward and Kara was grateful that the red fabric she'd received from Clark covered the blush spreading across her face. She had just played hero to the one person she wanted most to save and it was strangely intoxicating. "It means more than you could know."

"Well, I believe that everyone should be judged on their own merits. Even a Luthor deserves a fresh start." Kara placed her hands on her hips, subconsciously mimicking Alex's 'power pose'. She was momentarily distracted by the sound of boots on the ground and she looked over her shoulder to see the DEO team scouring the scene; they were in plainclothes, posing as local law enforcement.

"Supergirl!" One of the agents was calling her over to the crater in the street. Lena was treating her to a cheeky grin, which unsettled her, though not unpleasantly and she excused herself before practically floating over to the agent. Kara's mood dropped dramatically when she realized why he had signaled her: the crater was empty.

"H-how?" She stammered.

"I was going to ask you the same question." The agent pulled a radio over his shoulder and gave a report back to whoever was manning the DEO base. Kara mentally chastised herself for letting the tracker escape and spoke with a few of the agents before circling back to Lena.

"It seems that thing has a problem staying where you put it." Lena commented wryly as Kara made a soft landing next to her.

"Yeah," Kara gazed at the crater, a bit lost in thought. "Look, You should probably head home, Ms. Luthor. That thing is still out there and as long as it remains at large, you're in danger. We'll have one of our agents escort you home and we're going to post someone outside your apartment as a precaution."

"I appreciate the offer, Supergirl, but I'm meeting someone."

"I'm sure they would understand." Kara's hands found their way to her hips and she stood, resolute. "Your safety is more important than whatever plans you may have."

"Once again, I appreciate the concern, but at the moment, my desire outweighs my sense of self-preservation." Lena's green eyes shone as she shoved her hands deep into her coat pockets.

Kara huffed, the sudden exhale warming the mask of red fabric, "That's stupid." While she had to admit she was a bit giddy over Lena's mention of desire, she was also annoyed at the girl's stubbornness in the face of this very real threat.

"Well, affection makes fools of as all, even you must be able to appreciate that, Supergirl." She gave the impression of lighthearted joking, but Kara was suspicious, she worried that Lena's stubborn refusal stemmed from something else; the Luthor had so little regard for her own well-being.

"Maybe. But to take careless risks, even with the best of intentions," she paused, considering her thoughts, "is an insult that affection."

"I'm not sure I follow." Lena crossed her arms over her chest, brow knit, a smile still playing at the corner of her mouth.

"The person you're meeting, even if you don't value your own safety, don't you think they might? What if something happened to you? How do you think they would feel," Kara was speaking carefully now, "if you treated the person they loved so carelessly?"

Lena tilted her head in such a delicately thoughtful, conciliatory manner that Kara almost sighed audibly. "You make a fair point. I suppose I will accept that lift home, if only to assuage your worry."

"Worried? I-I'm not worried." Kara snorted comically, attempting, and failing, at incredulity. "I'm just pointing out the flaw in your logic: that whomever you were meeting might care if you become monster food."

"Isn't that why you're here?" Lena's smile was cocky now, "To make sure no one becomes monster food?"

"It is." Kara's answer was earnest and Lena could hear the smile in the woman's voice, "but my job is always easier when I know that as many people as possible are out of harm's way."

"Less worrying." Lena nodded in concession.

"Exactly."

"Well then, I guess I should go" Lena shook her head as if waking from a trance and shifted her weight. She took a final tentative step toward the mysterious hero and their eyes met for a moment, "Thank you again. From me and, I suppose, on behalf of the person I'm to leave waiting." She almost reached to touch the arm of the deep blue super suit, but thought better of it at the last minute.

"You're welcome, Miss Luthor."

"And I hope the next time I see you," Lena's smile was genuine, steeped in honey, and Kara face grew hot, "the circumstances are less dire." Her closeness created a palpable aura of heat and Kara's head buzzed.

Was Lena... flirting with her?

"Um," Kara's brain short-circuited for a moment, reconciling the fact that the girl she had kissed only a few hours before was now making eyes at some masked superhero. "Me too?" True, she was that masked super hero, but Lena couldn't know that!

Kara watched as Lena retreated from view, allowing herself to be escorted to a car by one of the plain-clothes DEO agents. She suddenly felt flushed and weak at both Lena's absence and her thinly veiled overtures where Supergirl was concerned.

This was definitely going to take some sussing out.


	12. Chapter 12: Smitten

Chapter 12  
Smitten

Kara flopped down on her sister's couch, exhausted. She had pulled off the jacket of her super suit and kicked it and her boots under the coffee table, lounging now in a light camisole, dark blue pants, and socks.

After the call from Lena, postponing their "victory dinner," she and a small team of agents had attempted to track the tracker – an almost impossible task even when not distracted by her recent run-in. Her life had gotten a lot more complicated over these last few weeks and even though her body was resilient, she was mentally worn out. She scanned her sister's apartment before throwing her head back on the cushion.

"Alex, you could stand to clean your kitchen, it looks like a disaster area."

"Three dishes in the sink does not a 'disaster area' make." The redhead crossed over to the nearby chair and collapsed into it like a ragdoll. "Besides, I haven't had time, you know that. I'm almost never here as it is."

"I manage," Kara countered.

"I don't know anyone who keeps their room as clean as you do," Alex popped the top of her beer and took an indelicate swig, Kara noted the whiskey bottle was once again stashed away, a good sign, and Alex seemed more calm and present than she had earlier. "Seriously, it's not natural."

"Well, I'm not from your planet." Kara didn't even move to look at her sister, she simply stared at the ceiling. "I'm from a cleaner, more respectful planet full of people who know where the laundry basket is."

"Ha." Alex slid further down in the chair.

"What are we going to do, Alex? We can't keep chasing our tails like this." Kara rolled onto her stomach and pushed herself up onto her elbows. "I know I'm pretty strong and can keep up, but even I get tired." Kara narrowed her eyes, "and hungry."

"Look, I know I owe you pizza."

"AND!"

"And potstickers."

"Darn straight!"

"But I can't tonight. I called Maggie and she should be on her way any second."

Kara made a big show of pouting, but she understood the weight of Alex's words and decided to forego additional, sisterly whining. Instead she focused on the apartment's ceiling, tracing the far-away, patterned lines in the grey concrete. Alex's place was all dark jewel tones and clean lines. It was only a few minutes from campus, but felt like a million miles away, untouched by the omnipresent patina of academia.

"How does that thing keep getting away from us, Alex? He doesn't even have any eyes!" Kara huffed and shifted gears, "We're seriously having a hard time getting the drop a guy who _literally_ can't see us coming."

"I don't know. And you're sure its after Lena?"

"I had Winn compile all the data on alien activity over the last week, it's practically a map of Lena's whereabouts."

"Then why did it attack you?"

Kara delicately skirted the topic, "I told you, I had just come from studying with her. It must have smelled her on me."

Alex took another swig at the implications in her sister's statement, but chose to ignore them, for the moment, and set the bottle on the coffee table. Kara picked up the bottle and before Alex had a chance to protest, set it back down on a coaster.

"We knew about the Nylani on Krypton. They were trackers and we sometimes used them to hunt down prisoners and enemies of the state, they're serious business."

"Well, don't worry. We'll figure out how to take him down."

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask you something." Kara pushed herself all the way up and sat upright on the couch.

Alex picked her beer back up, nursing it tentatively now, "Shoot."

"Have you ever stopped to wonder why all this stuff is going on on _our_ campus?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Kara shrugged and started ticking off fingers, "you were telling me about that club Maggie's in, then there's the DEO, and both of us ended up here somehow? It all just seems a bit implausible that all of this coexists together in such a small space, you know?" Kara caged her hands, compressing them in demonstration.

Alex downed the rest of her beer as a sharp knock came from her front door, "I don't know," She pushed up from the chair. "I guess I just try not to dwell on it too much."

Alex opened the door and her eyes fell to the person standing, confident and smug, in her hallway.

"Hey, Danvers." Maggie leaned against her doorframe, rakish in the leather jacket Alex had come to equate with the smell of sandalwood, the rush of warmth to her cheeks.

"You brought pizza." Alex commented happily, then, remembering Kara lounging inside in a state of partially super-suited dress, she raised her voice, "Hey Maggie."

"Uh, right." Maggie gave the taller redhead a quizzical look, "Wanna invite me in? I mean, it's a nice hallway and all, but..."

"Right, um," Alex looked over her shoulder; Kara was nowhere to be seen.

"Is this a bad time?" Maggie smiled and tilted her head coyly, "have you got someone in there?"

"What? No! Of course not," Alex sputtered and opened the door wider, "Come on in."

Maggie sidled into the apartment just in time to see a hooded figure launch from Alex's balcony railing.

"Did you see–" Maggie ran to the floor to ceiling glass door, shielding the light from her eyes, trying to catch a glimpse, "You know– ? Alex, that was– !"

The girl seemed incapable of finishing a sentence and Alex shifted her weight, uncomfortably, she had planned on having an entirely different conversation this evening. She had paced for almost an hour after Kara left, earlier in the evening, imagining what she would say, turning the words over in her mind, polishing them to a high sheen. And now Maggie Sawyer was in her living room, face pressed against the window, looking like something out of the best possible cop movie, impossibly close. And now Alex almost couldn't breathe, let alone speak, at their startling _nearness_.

"Danvers!" Maggie turned to face her and Alex adopted a look she hoped came off as neutral. "You didn't tell me you know Supergirl."

"Oh, yeah," the redhead shrugged. "She works with our organization from time to time."

"Wait," Maggie's face suddenly shifted in concern. "If she works with your organization, what was she doing _here_? Is everything okay?"

"Oh, yeah, everything is fine. Well, I mean, we're still having a hard time with that thing that attacked your friend. But, I guess," Alex grappled for words, "I guess you could say, Supergirl was here because she and I are sort of friends?"

Maggie stepped back, almost offended, "You're _friends_ with Supergirl? The _super hero_ who is _suddenly_ popping up all over town. The girl who's been saving kittens and school busses full of children and _putting out fires with her breath_. She just shows up at your apartment and _hangs out_?"

"Um, yes?"

"So you guys go on these missions and then, what, come back her and unwind over a beer?" Maggie's tone was coarse and her hands were on her hips now; Alex didn't quite understand what was happening.

"She, I mean, _she_ doesn't drink," Alex stuttered. "It's her DNA. Alcohol on this planet doesn't affect her."

"Alcohol on this...?" Maggie repeated, softly, "She's an alien? Of course she is!" Maggie threw her arms up and stalked away from Alex, only to turn back, arms crossed, her voice was cold but she was smiling. It was unsettling, "Well I guess I read you wrong Danvers, I never would have thought you'd go for that. Not in your line of work."

"Go for...?" Alex trailed off, suddenly understanding Maggie's implications. "Oh no! We're not, she and I... God no!" She pulled a face halfway between disbelief and disgust.

"Gee, you don't have to get so defensive." Her tone was acerbic.

Alex started laughing outright, "I'm sorry, it's just I can't believe you thought," she spoke between hiccupping laugher, "she and – and me, oh god!"

"It's not that funny. It _could_ happen." Maggie was gesticulating a bit erratically, "You're friends, you work together, stuff happens, I get it. I mean, it's not outside the realm of possibility."

"Oh, it _really_ , really is."

"Why, because she's an alien or because she's a woman?" The shorter girl asked pointedly and the redhead immediately sobered.

"Neither, actually." Alex let her voice drop to a low hum and clasped her hands against her chest. Maggie didn't seem upset now, not really. What she seemed, Alex realized all at once, was jealous. "There are a million reasons why that is a _ludicrous_ suggestion, but the most important," Alex tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, "is that there's someone else."

"Oh," Maggie quieted, her agitation had faded and her body seemed to go slack, "I mean, of course there is." She paused and then, "Wait, for her or for you?"

"For her? I don't know, she hasn't said anything, and she's being mildly evasive – it's kind of annoying actually because she thinks she's being sneaky – but I'm pretty sure she's got a thing for –"

"Alex!"

"Right. Someone else. For me." Alex took a breath, this wasn't going at all the way she had planned, but she was nothing if not adaptive. She stepped into Maggie's personal space and brought a lithe hand up, threading it through the shorter girl's dark hair. Maggie's eyes fluttered momentarily and she melted into the touch as Alex guided their lips together in a slow, tender kiss. It was soft and gentle and better than anything Alex ever could have imagined. It shut her brain down and seemed to wire her full of electricity all in the same moment. She felt lost and found all at once. Then there was nothing but the brush of her lips, the silky feel of Maggie's long coffee-colored locks slipping through her fingers, the soft, sweet release of a sigh against her own.

Maggie drew back slightly, "Wow."

"Was that... okay?" the taller redhead was steady, but unsure.

"It was more than okay." And Maggie drew Alex down to her once more, smiling against her lips.

* * *

Kara paced a bit, ricocheting back and forth in the lobby of Lena's apartment building before jabbing the elevator button a second time.

"You alright, Miss Danvers?" The doorman asked, calling over from his post at the lobby desk.

"I'm fine, Dave, thanks." Kara managed to still herself long enough to greet the doorman with a grateful smile. She had befriended him a handful of days earlier, after walking Lena home from campus. She had dropped her friend at the building's elevator and ended up spending an additional 35 minutes swooning over pictures of the puppy Dave had gotten his daughter for her birthday. Tonight, he didn't even blink before letting her into the building.

After giving up on the elevator momentarily, she spun on her heel and walked over to his desk, leaning casually. "No one's tried to get in to see Miss Luthor recently, have they?"

"No Miss. Why? Is there something I should be on the lookout for?"

"No. Don't worry about it." She gestured that it was nothing, then thought better of it. "You know, she _has_ been having a bit of trouble with this creepy guy who's been following her. Big guy. _Bad_ guy. Nasty piece of work." Kara pushed up on her toes, over the lip of the marble-toped desk, with each descriptor.

"Oh no. I haven't seen anyone, but I'll keep my eyes open. Miss Luthor is one of the good ones; we all love her! Though I gotta say it feels weird to say that. What with all the unfortunate business with her brother," Dave jerked his head to the right as if gesturing to an unseen entity, "it's hard to believe they're even related."

"Right. The guy that's been following her, I think he might be mixed up with her brother. He's been giving her a hard time, trying to scare her. And she's just trying to live her life, you know?"

Dave nodded, he knew.

"If anyone comes by to see her that rubs you the wrong way," She pulled a small business card from her pocket. It was matte black with only a number and Alex's title embossed in shiny black, "will you call this number?"

"Special Agent Danvers?"

"My sister, Alex. She knows Lena too. We just want to make sure she stays safe, you know? There's so much good she wants to do, we want to make sure she gets the chance."

Dave's coal colored eyes went a bit wide as he ran his fingers over the lettering on the card before slipping into his front breast pocket. "Me too, Miss Danvers. And I'll tell the other guys to keep an eye out."

"Thanks, Dave."

The elevator dinged softly and with an almost-skip, she made her way over, pressing "P" and waving to the doorman as the doors slid shut. She hoped that might add an extra bit of protection around Lena. They had, as Kara had instructed, stationed an agent outside the building, but Kara thought having the doormen on her side might help in case any of Lex's old crew decided to come by unannounced, especially since it was almost certain they were the ones pulling the tracker's strings. She tried to push all of that from her mind as the elevator slowed and the doors opened to the foyer of Lena's penthouse apartment.

"Kara! I'm so glad you called!"

"Hey," Kara felt oddly sheepish now that she was actually here, not knowing quite how to act. She pushed into the apartment, hanging up her coat and fidgeting a bit before crossing into the living room.

Lena's penthouse was giant, all bright, clean white walls, modern art in shades of grey, and high ceilings for days. It had uninterrupted, floor-to-ceiling windows opposite the entrance and Kara could see the blinking lights of the city below. She heard the light clank of plates and her heart beat like a kick drum in spite of herself when she caught sight of Lena, bustling around in the kitchen. She wasn't cooking, Kara noted, what she was doing was more like... unboxing. Kara's heart did another quick somersault when she saw _what_ Lena was unpacking.

"You went back to Canton House!" She almost squealed and practically galloped into the kitchen, sweeping Lena off her feet and spinning her in a flurry of joy. The dark-haired girl laughed – it was gleeful, like the ringing of delicate bells – a sound Kara had not yet heard her make and the Kryptonian lowered her back down to the ground. As soon as her feet touched back down, Lena tangled her fingers in Kara's blonde mane, pulling her close. Her lips were soft, so soft, and Kara had almost lost herself in their delicate sweetness when she was abruptly aware of Lena's tongue – the taste of it as it invaded her mouth, the heady sensation almost too much to bear. Kara's hands started to roam of their own accord, mapping the borders of the woman in her arms, for in this moment, she resigned never again to think of her as a mere girl. Lena was a woman, powerful and headstrong and this made Kara feel dizzy as she memorized the curve of her back, the planes of her shoulders before knotting her hands in the fabric of her shirt. Kara was unable to concentrate on anything but the taste of Lena's mouth, the slight tug of fingers through her hair.

She felt a gentle push against her shoulders and realized that Lena was guiding her back to the nearby wall, pressing against her in such a way that made Kara think she might actually lose consciousness. Hands found their way to the buttons of Kara's blouse and light fingers traced the hollow of her throat, the ridge of her collarbone. The sudden sensation of Lena's hips pinning her against the wall forced Kara to break the kiss, consumed by the desperate need to catch her breath. Lena's green eyes shone fiercely, hungry but kind too, she shifted and started to step back, breaking their contact, but Kara caught her around the waist, not wanting her to go. The dark-haired woman settled into the circle of Kara's arms, and pressed soft lips under the blonde's ear, along her jawline.

"Holy Rao." Kara breathed, adjusting her glasses a bit then draping her arm back around Lena's waist.

Lena just smiled that stupid, impossible smile and finished tracing Kara's jaw with her too soft lips, "Too much? Too fast?"

"N-No." Kara gulped audibly and Lena laughed again, "It was just... wow."

"If you think that was 'wow', just you wait," Lena broke their loose embrace and lead Kara by the hand to the small city of takeout boxes she'd been unpacking. The dark-haired maven was, admittedly ravenous for the flustered girl in her kitchen, but she was a very patient woman who took delight in more than just the physical aspects of their budding relationship. She presented the takeout spread with a flourish and smiled at the way Kara became giddy as she took in the extent of their feast. "I know it looks impressive, but don't be fooled, 60% of these boxes are nothing but pot stickers."

Kara's eyes went wide and she practically jumped, she caught Lena up once again and hugged her close. "I don't deserve you."

"Of course you do."

And for a little while Kara forgot about the beast she would need to hunt, she forgot about Cadmus, she forgot about Alex. She even forgot about the troubling way Lena had smiled at Supergirl. For a little while, she got to be happy, love-struck, and well fed.


	13. Chapter 13: Fade In, Fade Out

Chapter 13  
Fade In, Fade Out

Kara always loved being so high up above the city; if she squinted, she could almost pretend the shining lights below were the fading lights of Krypton. She wrapped her fingers tightly around the balcony railing she was sitting on, legs dangling over the edge, and leaned forward ever so slightly. Her breath, trapped behind the mask of red fabric, warmed her nose and she could almost detect a faint smell of rain on the horizon. She relished these nights, the ones so calm and tranquil you could almost hear the stillness in the air. Below her, cars - nothing but pairs of red or white dots- stopped and started, office lights faded into nothingness as their workers left for the night, and the city hummed gently. Kara tried to push all sentient thoughts from her mind, to breathe deeply, something Professor Henshaw had been trying to teach her self-defense class.

She understood the value of stillness, but could never seem to get the practice to catch up to the theory. So, instead, she rocked precariously on the edge of Lena Luthor's balcony and tried to swat away unwanted thoughts. Their evening of pot stickers and, at least for Kara, denial, had been two nights ago and she still felt strange. Strangely happy, yes, but also uneasy.

The DEO hadn't caught the tracker, she hadn't really heard from Alex, she had yet to snag a good story for the Gazette, and she still hadn't talked to Lena about Supergirl. Kara sighed and tucked a stray piece of long blonde hair back into her midnight blue hood. Supergirl had no trouble facing a threat head on, but Kara? Kara seemed to have a real problem dealing with conflict, dealing with change. She didn't want things to change. She wanted Alex to be happy, she wanted Lena to be safe. She wanted Lena, period. She wasn't used to those feelings yet, the ones that kicked up a storm in her ribcage, and she had trouble reconciling the deep ache of longing she felt every time she looked into those fathomless emerald eyes. She wanted so much to fall down the rabbit-hole, to see where those longings led, but she was also startlingly aware of the dangers of letting go.

Over the last four years Kara had worked hard to understand and gain control over her physical powers here on earth. That she now found herself in situations that made her want to throw caution to the wind frightened her. She worried over hurting Lena, physically and emotionally, if she let herself feel too much. Too much passion, too much desire, too much... too much. She told herself that her circumstances were special, that she was concerned mainly because she had to remain in control of her power, her strength, and tried to ignore the gnawing feeling in her stomach that seemed to accompany the thought of getting close to someone who could potentially leave or cause her harm. That was an utterly human problem and she refused to acknowledge it. At least for now.

So she simply turned these thoughts over in her mind until they became so small they dwindled into nothing and listened to the white noise of the city below. That is, until a light knock of knuckle on glass interrupted her reverie.

Lena Luthor, wrapped in something deep green and plush with her thin, white-rimmed glasses settled across the bridge of her nose, pushed the tall glass door open and stepped onto the balcony. "I wasn't aware Supergirl made house calls," she quipped.

Kara couldn't help but smile as she swung her legs back over the balcony railing and stood, leaning casually. "I don't usually, but you have a particularly nice view."

"It's one of my favorite things about living here. Lex always hated it – he has a thing about heights – but it always makes me feel better, looking out over the city. When it's dark and the lights start to flicker, it could be anywhere." Lena crossed and rested her elbows on the railing, surveying the scene.

"What do you see?" Kara wondered aloud, "Where, I mean."

"Metropololis." Lena sighed, "I grew up there. Before the boarding schools, even before my adoption, my earliest memories are the lights of the city, the bridges and high-rises." Lena's inky black hair was held back in a loose braid, which she now pulled over her shoulder, absentmindedly winding the end around her fingers. Kara loved the little things she did without thought: the way she played with her hair, how she worried her bottom lip when she read a particularly thrilling passage in one of her oversized novels, the subtle way one eyebrow pushed up when she cracked wise. It took her a moment to realize Lena was staring up at her, silent and skeptical. She spoke, "What about you? What do you see?"

"I see Krypton. My home planet." Kara's answer was succinct, but it held a sigh, which drew it out longer than she intended.

"Krypton?" Lena straightened a bit, "So you and Superman are from the same planet?"

"Same planet." She confirmed, "Same family, actually. We're cousins." Kara turned back to the city and leaned out over the rail. She could see the DEO agent's car below; it looked like a toy from this high up, so small she could squint and crush it between her fingers.

"Cousins." Lena repeated.

"That's sort of why I'm here," Kara once again attempted a casual lean against the rail, "Or it was, to take care of him after our planet was destroyed. But things didn't go according to plan."

"When do they ever?" Lena chuckled, still gazing out over the city skyline. "But wait, Superman is older than you, how does that work?"

Kara sighed and shook her head. "When our planet died, I was 13 and he was only a baby. He made it to earth and I got, well?" She cocked her head a bit, "Stuck. Frozen in space and time. By the time I got unstuck and found my way here, he had already grown and I... I had no purpose."

"Is that why you do this?" Lena turned toward her.

"This?"

"Save people and loiter on penthouse balconies at 2 am on a Sunday."

"Technically it's Monday now." Kara returned, almost wishing Lena could see her smirk.

"Fine," Lena laughed, "is that why you're on my balcony at 2 am on a Monday?"

"I guess?" Kara met Lena's gaze, steady and intense, "My parents raised me to believe I was meant for something greater. Kryptonians, in general, place the highest value on the concepts of honor and enlightenment. For me, protecting my cousin was my calling, my highest honor. When he no longer required my protection, it was up to me to find some new way to serve my people. By protecting people here on earth, I honor Krypton, I honor my parents."

"I can't imagine how that feels." Lena crossed away from the balcony, arms crossing over her chest.

"What do you mean?"

"I barely remember my parents before I was adopted by the Luthors. And now," she shook her head lightly, "I'm actively working to tear down everything the Luthor name has come to represent."

"You're seeking your highest honor." Kara stepped toward her and allowed her ands to find a home on her hips. "It's very Kryptonian of you, actually."

And there it was, that jump in her stomach, the subtle warming of her skin at the mere proximity to the other woman. Kara couldn't help it. At that moment, Lena held out a tentative hand and Kara, with equal hesitation, took it.

"That's exceedingly kind of you to say." Green eyes caught blue and held them with untold force and intensity. "How is it you can afford to be so compassionate? What with the bad blood between my brother and your cousin, I would imagine you'd want little to do with a Luthor of any stripe."

"You should really give yourself more credit; you're more than your family name, Miss Luthor. You are smart and you are good. You've shown strength of character and, while I do wish you placed a higher value on your own personal safety, you've shown yourself to be quite capable of both good deeds and good judgment."

"How can you be sure? You don't even know me." Lena broke eye contact and dropped Kara's hand, and the Kryptonian realized it wasn't a question of surety so much as a statement of self-doubt.

"I consider myself a a very good judge of character." Kara placed a strong hand on Lena's shoulder and was treated, in turn, to a somewhat sad smile.

"You remind me so much of someone –" She trailed off and Kara took a short step back, breaking their contact. The dark haired woman seemed unphased, "My – well, I don't exactly know what we are, but for the sake of brevity, let's call her my girlfriend. I mean, I'd like her to be, but I digress."

Kara ran a bit hot under the collar at both the possibility of recognition and the prospect of Lena telling a veritable stranger that Kara was her girlfriend.

"She has this uncanny ability to make you feel... significant. Like you're the most important person in the room." Lena sighed and crossed back to the balcony's edge. "She sees the good things in you, even when you can't see them in yourself. Especially then."

Kara only felt a tiny bit of guilt over wanting to hear more. She said nothing, hoping Lena would continue.

"She's good, like you, and she cares so much. I suppose that's why it's so easy to talk to you, you remind me so much of her." She paused a moment and chuckled, "And, I doubt many have the opportunity for casual conversation with Supergirl."

Kara smiled at this. "You're not wrong, I don't often find myself loitering on balconies with supposed adversaries."

"And yet, here you are."

"And yet, here I am."

And so they stood, steeped in pregnant silence, watching the lights of the city twinkle in the distance.

* * *

"There has to be a way for us to track this guy. Winn, can you think of anything that might be traceable?" Alex leaned back against the brushed chrome desk, arms crossed. She had been looking over all the collected data from the last few days trying to figure out how to get a line on their rogue alien.

She needed something, anything to keep her mind from wandering where it so desperately wanted to go: the curve of Maggie's lips, the way it felt to push her silky hair back from her face, the way Maggie's dimples deepened when Alex caught her staring. This was going to be harder than she thought.

How had she managed to go so long not knowing it could be like this? She couldn't wait to wrap herself up in this other person, so strong and so beautiful. She was ready to drown in the feeling of sheer bliss. This was her new normal and she knew she would never be able to get enough of feeling this way.

"Aaaaaand you're not listening," Winn groaned, obviously at the end of a lengthy explanation she'd heard none of.

"I am!" She lied, defensively.

"No you're not, you're looking at your phone and grinning like an idiot... which is weird. I don't think I've ever seen you smile like that. Wait, Alex, are you high?" Winn pushed back from the desk.

"Oh god, of course not! I was just thinking about someone." She shook off the lingering memory of Maggie's lips on hers and crossed to Winn, leaning over his shoulder. "Not that it's any of your business."

Winn shrugged and swiveled back toward the screen. After a series of clicks Alex started to detect a quiet humming coming from their newest recruit. She strained to hear and as it grew louder, she was able to make out the words, "Alex has a boyfriend" coming out in singsong.

"Winn! I know six very painful ways to make you stop with just my index finger and I will not hesitate to use them." Winn fell silent, instantly. "And I can promise, I do not have a boyfriend." Alex took no little joy in neglecting the gender distinction and smiled to herself.

"Okay, so, all teasing aside, we don't know how to track this thing, but," Winn pulled up the map of recent activity, "We know where it's been and now we know what it's looking for, which means..."

"Which means we know where it's going to be."

"We just need to be there then next time it tries to attack Lena and we can snag it" Alex leaned down, arms still clasped across her chest, "I'll run this by Hank and see if I can put together a team."

"And tell Kara."

"Right." Alex knit her brow. There were a dozen reasons she could think of to leave her sister out of this plan: the first being her safety, the second being Kara's connection to Lena Luthor. Whatever their relationship, she didn't need to be causing her sister undue stress with regard to an alien that proved specifically toxic to her. Alex silently resolved to keep their plans to herself for now. "Of course." She'd tell Kara when she needed to know, not before.

* * *

"One of these days, you're going to let me treat." Kara licked a tall, double scoop of ice cream, balanced precariously atop a crispy sugar cone.

She linked her arm happily through Lena's as they strolled aimlessly along the local pier. Kids wove in and out of the crowd, tugging pastel balloons through the air in erratic patterns as they ran. Kara felt her heart jump as Lena pulled more tightly into her.

"I might consider letting you take me to the bookstore." She countered. "That's the only place I can think of where my appetites might match yours." They both laughed and wandered over to a railing at the edge of the dock.

The sun hung low in the sky and everything glowed a pleasant orange color. The blonde turned and Lena slipped her hands inside of the girl's wool coat, pulling her close and tracing light circles against the fabric at small of her back. Kara sighed happily at the feeling of Lena's lips against the curve of her neck.

She had continued to visit Lena's penthouse balcony, as Supergirl, in the evenings and over the last few nights, they'd built a foundation of companionship and kindness, shared while the city slept. Then, during the day she and Lena would still little moments of solitude here and there on campus, culminating in a study session or some little outing or other. Today it was both: a bit of Chaucer and then ice cream along the pier. The more time she spent with Lena as Supergirl, the less she fretted over her fears surrounding loving her as Kara. She knew that it wasn't exactly fair, but talking through her issues, under the veil of anonymity, helped assuage her fears and settle her into a comfortable place in terms of her ability to process and receive affection.

It was a pleasant sort of pattern they'd fallen into, the three of them: Kara, Lena, Supergirl. She realized that she was creating another problem to be tackled, namely that at some point she would have to come clean to Lena that her girlfriend and closest confidante were, in fact, one in the same. For now she would just enjoy the creeping sunset and the weight of Lena's head on her shoulder.

Kara's calm was short-lived, however as the scream of a young child ripped through the air. Kara whipped her head toward the sound and saw, in the distance, a large figure covered in matted brown fur. She had been waiting for this moment, but was momentarily stunned at how best to handle the attack with Lena wrapped around her. She pulled back a bit and looked the dark-haired woman in the eyes, serious and stoic.

"I need you to listen to me right now, Lena." The woman nodded, eyes wide. "You have to run. As far and as fast as you can. Alright?"

Lena's green eyes flashed, "Wait, what about you?"

"I can't explain right now, but I have to call Alex, she'll know what to do. You have to trust me right now, and you have to run." Kara had Lena by the shoulders now and she could hear the sound of screaming, the thunder of running feet slapping the planks of the pier, coming closer.

Just then a shot rang out, then another, which heralded the arrival of the DEO on-sight. Kara watched, arms wrapping protectively around Lena, as Alex jumped from the car with a large gun barrel over her shoulder and launched a net at the hulking alien. The net bloomed in the air and fell over the tracker, tangling him up in a woven cocoon of reinforced rope and flailing limbs.

Kara watched in horror as the beast struggled for mere seconds then ripped free from the net, standing, angry and snorting, and turned on her sister. She couldn't just watch this thing attack Alex, but she couldn't leave Lena.

She made the impossible decision and turned to Lena, "Run. Now." And took off toward Alex in a sprint.

"Kara!" Lena called after her, but as she picked up speed, the woman's voice died out and Kara could, instead, only hear the rush of blood beat in her ears. She blew passed a small visitor's center and took a split second detour to change into her super suit, pulling her hood on before resuming her course and slamming, unceremoniously into the monstrous Nylanus. The momentum pulled them both from their feet and dragged them down, creating a craterous skid where their bodies shot along the asphalt. She groaned and shifted to stand, not realizing that the tracker had already recovered and stood over her, claws splayed. She moved to roll out of reach, but instead felt a stabbing pain in her side that slowed her considerably.

She hear the pop shck sound of a tranq gun being fired repeatedly and suddenly she was surrounded by DEO Agents, pulling her away from the wrecked road as the massive alien swayed on buckling knees. The red feather tails of half a dozen tranquilizer darts scattered like freckles along the beast's back and it collapsed in a stupor before being swarmed by the remaining agents who made quick work of securing and packing it off.

Kara struggled to watch the next few moments unfold, her eyelids suddenly heavy and impossible to keep open. She turned her head back to where she'd left Lena and was momentarily frustrated that the dark haired woman was still there, clinging to the railing next to the melting cone Kara had discarded only moments before. But then there was a squeal of tires and a second team in a dark van arrived on the scene. But this wasn't DEO, Kara realized too late, struggling to stagger back toward Lena. She watched, unable to intervene, as half a dozen men dressed in military garb poured from the van, snatched up the dark-haired woman and packed her back into the van before peeling out.

"Alex!?" Kara called, using all her remaining strength to summon her sister. She felt protective hands tuck under her arms and lower her down to the ground as she lost the ability to hold herself up under her own strength.

"Supergirl!" Alex cradled her sister in her lap as she faded from consciousness, "Kara, I'm here."

"They took her." Kara was crying now. She couldn't seem to hold on to any thought for more than a few seconds and the strength was melting from her limbs with alarming speed. She knew something had just happened, something had just gone wrong.

"Where's Lena? Alex, please." She pressed her face, sobbing, into the soft fabric over Alex's stomach and begged. "Find her. Alex, I need her," her last coherent thought before everything faded to black.


	14. Chapter 14: Uppercut

Chapter 14

Uppercut

Lena woke suddenly, her body aching and stiff. She shifted slightly, feeling the sudden chill of cold cement floor beneath her. Darkness enveloped her and she wondered for a panicked moment whether it was simply the absence of light, or whether something had affected her eyesight. She gingerly unfolded her limbs and attempted to push herself up, faltering as her muscles complained and gave way under her weight.

"Hello?" Her voice echoed, eventually disappearing into staggeringly cavernous space. A chill ran down her spine and she attempted to steady her breathing as she groped for the most recent memory she had prior to waking up here, alone.

Kara. And Supergirl.

Kara was Supergirl, but she had known that already. She realized the blonde's double identity the first time Supergirl came to her rescue on that quiet little street and chastised her for being careless with her safety. Kara was many things, but a convincing liar wasn't one of them. To be fair, Lena had also spent more time than she cared to admit appraising Kara's looks, the curves of her surprisingly muscled arms, the slope of her chest, her brilliant blue eyes, such that not even the super suit could deceive her.

She knew Kara.

At first she had felt slighted by the deception and sting of secrecy, but the more Supergirl shared, the more Lena understood Kara's need to keep her identity a secret, so many of her stories tinged with loss, with fear. Now Lena wanted nothing more than to be reunited with the Girl of Steel – her fearless friend – to hold her, to kiss her. To be anywhere but this endless void of nothingness.

She dragged her body up to stand on shaky legs and staggered forward, fumbling in hopes of finding an edge to the darkness. Most people feared the dark and she was no exception, but she found her determination to be an excellent suppressant to quiet the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She took a wary step forward, then another. She had to reach a wall or bar soon, some sort of finite container to hold all this blackness. After several steps her fingers, outstretched and uncertain, brushed something cold and narrow: a horizontal metal bar with squared edges. She ran its length and found a cross-section, tracing the perimeter of a makeshift cage with the pads of her fingers. She was trapped, but even that was some comfort, that something else existed in the void, even if it was keeping her captive.

She gripped the bar and pulled; it gave a satisfying rattle. Then, as if on cue, a sliver of light penetrated the darkness, it snaked and took on the form of a door opening perhaps 100 feet away and Lena shielded her eyes from the sudden brightness. A figure appeared in the rectangle of light, then another and another. Somewhere a metallic clank rang out and suddenly light flooded every corner of what she could now see was an airplane hangar.

She knew some of the figures streaming into the hangar, she recognized them as boys from school, the ones who had taken every opportunity to heckle and threaten her. She shrank back, instinctively, pressing herself against the farthest wall of her cage. One of them, Miner – the boy Kara had stopped from attacking her – made his way across the vast emptiness on the hangar and sidled up to the bars.

"Lena Luthor." He draped his arms lazily across the grid of her free-standing cell, leaning in casually. "You shoulda listened when I said I had a message for you. It would have been so easy to take care of things before they got so," He paused and pulled chapped lips back into a menacing smile, "complicated."

"You sent that thing after me," she hissed through clenched teeth, back still pressed against the bars.

"We did." He picked at his teeth and clicked his tongue.

"Why send that monster if you were just going to grab me up anyway? Why go through the trouble?

"Why? For fun, of course." Miner laughed now and ran a rough hand over the stubble along his jaw. "That was a little gift from Lex."

"Why would Lex send me that... thing?" Lena made no effort to hide her contempt.

"Oh, it wasn't a gift for you, it was a gift for us. For Cadmus." Miner's smile pulled tighter and Lena tried to push down the feeling of genuine fear bubbling up inside her. "See, even on the inside, Lex still cares about his brothers."

The others were drawing steadily closer, each of them plastered with the same hungry grin.

"See, Cadmus is a Wilding institution, a society founded by Lex's great grandfather when he was at the school; some of the world's most influential minds have found brotherhood among our ranks. See, Cadmus believes in power, principles, and purity. And even with our leader behind bars, we carry on in his name, upholding the society's truth and passing judgment against those who deserve it."

"But, how? I've never even –"

"Heard of us? No, you wouldn't have." Miner pushed closer to the cell and raised an eyebrow. "Lex knew he couldn't trust you. Not only are you not a true Luthor, but you betrayed your brother, abandoning him in his time of need." Miner waved his hand, motioning to one of the faceless crowd, "You were tested, Lena. You failed. And Cadmus doesn't tolerate failure."

One of the boys advanced toward the cage and swiped a keycard, stepping back as the door sprang open. Lena's eyes went wide and she slid along the back of the cell until she was crouched, low, in the far corner.

"Where's your little watch dog now, Lena?" Her green eyes flew wide and she shrank back as the boy advanced and wrapped tight fingers around her upper arm. "Like I told her, Lex never forgets," The boy yanked her up and started dragging her from the cell, "and he never forgives."

* * *

Alex paced frantically. She couldn't stand being in the lab any longer, watching over Kara as she soaked up rays from the DEO's yellow sun lamps, and so paced the empty campus corridor above ground. It was midday on Saturday, nineteen hours since the attack and Kara showed little sign of recovery, so all Alex could do was pace. Well, that wasn't true; Kara had tasked her with finding Lena, but Alex just couldn't. She couldn't leave Kara in that bed alone and she couldn't stand to be there with her either. So she paced.

"Danvers?"

"Maggie." Alex practically sighed and her face fell, vulnerable, as worry pulled at the corners of her eyes.

The shorter girl rushed forward and gathered Alex in her arms, relishing the weight of her. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"How did you –"

"The fight on the pier, it's all over the internet." Maggie pushed red hair back from Alex's forehead, "Tell me you're okay."

"I – I'm alright. But Supergirl, she," the agent's eyes gazed with tears she had, until this point, been able to fight back, "she hasn't woken up yet and I – I just can't do this without her."

Maggie caught Alex up in another tight embrace then pulled back and pushed the tears from the redhead's cheeks as they fell, "Do what?"

Alex pulled desperate air into her lungs and gestured to their general surroundings, "Any of this."

The dark haired girl placed her hands on either side of the agent's shoulders, bracing her, "Alex, you are one of the strongest women I have ever known. No matter what happens, you will still be strong and capable." Alex clasped her hands against her sternum and shook her head, tears streaming freely down her cheeks.

"Not without her," Alex murmured, "I should have protected her. She never should have been there..."

Maggie's eyebrows fell, momentarily confused. She wrapped an arm around Alex, rocking her slightly, before, "Omigod. It's Kara." Maggie turned to face her, "Of course, Supergirl is your sister."

Alex quieted, "I am responsible for her. And I can't do this without her."

"You won't have to Alex. She'll recover, she's strong and she has you waiting for her." Alex felt the squeeze of her shoulders as Maggie pulled her close.

"I just can't stop seeing her face when she called my name, and I don't know if I've ever seen her bleed." Alex started ahead with soft focus, "She kept asking me..."

"What?"

"To find Lena. She got snatched up by these guys in military gear while we were trying to put down the tracker," Alex stared at her hands. "But, I don't even know where to start."

"Then you're in luck," Maggie turned and tugged the lapels of her leather jacket, Alex couldn't help but smile a bit at the now familiar gesture. "That's why I came to see you, Danvers. Suit up. We're going to find your sister's girlfriend."

"I never said they were –"

"Yeah yeah yeah," Maggie chucked Alex lightly on the shoulder and the redhead cracked a reluctant smile. "Look, I got some intel from a few of my contacts that had a group of guys, in military gear, operating out of an airplane hangar. They said a few aliens have gone missing, all of whom report being held there. Now I don't know about you, but that sounds like Cadmus to me. I also dug through Wilding's archives and uncovered quite a bit of dirt on our little band of lost boys and, get this, it all leads straight back to Lex Luthor."

"You think they're the ones who took Lena." Alex turned this new information over in her mind.

"I do."

"And you know where this hangar is?" Maggie nodded.

"Then let's move out." Alex wiped her forearm across her tear-stained cheeks and then spun to face the shorter woman, catching her by the wrist and pulling her close. She angled down and caught Maggie's lips, soft and sweet, cradling her in the circle of her arms for a brief moment. Maggie melted into the kiss before pulling back. Alex ran soft hands through the hair at either side of her temples before leaning down pressing their foreheads together.

"Thank you, Maggie."

"Anything for a Danvers in need."

* * *

Lena could feel the bruise already starting to bloom under the tight grip of the boy attempting to wrestle her from the cage. She refused to give him an easy time of it and fought him, quite literally, tooth and nail.

"C'mon now Lena, we've been putting together something special just for you." Miner still hung on the outside of the cage, smug grin plastered across his scraggly face.

"You can go to hell, you and my brother." She twisted her arm and managed to turn toward her captor. She saw her opportunity and took it, bringing her knee up, viciously, connecting with the boy's groin. He crumpled and, as he fell, she snatched the gun from his holster, before hearing the flat pack sound of his body hitting the floor. She was still in the cage, she was still surrounded, but now she was armed, and she was desperate – a lethal combination. She pointed the gun, a cold black semi-automatic, first at the open door, stemming the tide of figures rushing toward her, then shifted her aim toward Miner.

"Aw, you're really killing my buzz here, little Lena. Why don't you toss the gun over and we'll stop trying to delay the inevitable?" He gave no reaction to the gun aimed in his direction.

A body broke from the ranks and rushed the cage – it was the oily-haired boy who'd harassed her earlier, Corben. Lena gulped and tried to steady her grip on the firearm as he sprinted toward her but rather than squeezing off a shot to take him down, he was, instead, suddenly tackled by a woman in black fatigues.

Lena froze and, quite suddenly, the hangar was swarming with men and women in stealth military gear. A handful kicked through the boarded up windows and rappelled down from abovewhile still more of them poured through the door. Lena stole across the threshold of the cell before watching Miner take an impressive right cross to the jaw. She then turned her attention back to Corben, who was now facing off with the woman who had taken him down.

"Alex!"

Lena recognized her instantly. Corben swung wide and Alex ducked under his arms, popping back up and returning fire with a hard right hook to his jaw. He recoiled and she used the space between them to bring her leg up like a spring and kicked him, hard, in the sternum. As he staggered back, Alex grappled with her sidearm, drawing it expertly. Corben, however, had already recovered and in a blindingly fast sweep, he broke her grip with a sharp blow to her elbow then wrapped his forearm across her neck, bracing it to cut off Alex's air supply.

Lena staggered forward then stopped abruptly as Alex jumped, drawing knees to chest, and used the leverage to pull Corben head-over-heels. They separated briefly, both taking a moment to recover and Lena caught Alex's eye. Kara's sister held up her hand, an indication to wait, and Corben charged her again, this time brandishing a knife. Alex caught his wrist, mid-thrust and pulled it toward her, using the additional momentum to strengthen the connection of her elbow to his face. He recoiled and rolled away from her, but not before picking up the gun that had been previously discarded on the floor.

He drew the gun on Alex and for a moment everything seemed to go silent as she raised her arms. Alex looked from Corben, then over his shoulder to Lena and the silence was shattered as a bullet exploded from the muzzle of Lena's stolen gun. Corben crumpled and Alex rushed toward the youngest Luthor, taking the gun from her hand and sweeping her into an unexpected hug. The dark haired girl had a momentary lapse where she forgot where she was and what had happened, she simply allowed herself to feel safe before returning to the din of the airplane hangar.

The chaos around them was ebbing as more and more DEO agents restrained the members of Cadmus, confiscating weapons and slapping cuffs on wrists. Alex gave Lena a final squeeze before releasing her.

"Thanks for saving my life." Alex's face was a picture of relieved gratitude.

"Just returning the favor," Lena shrugged, smiling in disbelief at the bedlam around them.

"Kara never would have forgiven me if I hadn't come to find you." Alex glanced to the side just in time to watch Maggie deliver a devastating uppercut to a Cadmus member and couldn't help but smile.

"Kara!" Lena's eyes went wide, "I saw her go down when that thing's claws slashed right through her suit. Tell me she's alright. Please Alex, she has to be."

"You know?"

"Of course I do. I love her, Alex. I'd recognize her no matter the disguise." Lena took a tentative step forward.

The redhead gave a conciliatory nod and placed a comforting hand on Lena's shoulder, "She'll be okay. She still hasn't woken up, though." Alex looked around, hands on hips. "If you give me a few minutes to... tidy up here, I can take you to her."

"Thank you, Alex," Lena hugged her again and after the initial shock, Alex allowed her arms to settle around the other girl, "for everything."


	15. Chapter 15: No Secrets

Chapter 15  
No Secrets

Somewhere from deep within the ether of a very good dream, Lena could hear someone call her name. She became slowly aware of a hand caressing the side of her face as her reverie-infused lips pulled away from her vision of Kara and she was roused from slumber, only to be greeted by the very real version of the woman she had just left.

"Kara! You're awake!" She gasped as tears pricked her blinking eyes.

"And so are you, though I don't know how you could sleep like that. Your neck must be killing you!"

True, the dark-haired woman registered a few complaints from muscle and joint as she arched and stretched, shaking off the lagging slumber. Since her rescue, she hadn't left Kara's bedside and had managed sleep draped half over the hospital bed, half rooted in her bedside chair, though not consistently. Sleep had come only in fits and starts and was steeped in worry, among other things.

"Why don't you come up here with me." Kara beckoned and Lena looked wary. "I'm fine, I promise. That thing may have hurt me, but you can't; you can do nothing but help."

True, the sun lamps had been removed and the wires no longer wove their lattice over the blonde's frame, but Lena still worried. She had never viewed Kara as a fragile thing before, always sure of her strength and resilience whether in or out of her super suit, but seeing her in this bed, so wounded, seeming so small, frightened her. It also filled her with something that had taken her some time to identify: guilt. It rose up in her now, even as Kara leaned back and opened an arm to invite her in, swathed in white and somehow, despite injury, looking like a princess newly roused from slumber, that is to say, perfect.

"I – I should let you rest." She rose slowly and backed away from the bed slightly, noting the flash of worry in Kara's eyes.

"I'd rest easier if you were here with me." The blonde beckoned once more. "Lena. Please?"

Lena's emerald eyes softened, "Well, if it will help..."

"It definitely will."

Lena raised herself up and slid into the waiting circle of Kara's arms. She was amazed at how well she fit there, how they fit together, as if they were at one point a single being rent in two, now finding its way back together. She involuntarily pressed into the hollow at Kara's neck and heard, or rather felt, a subtle, satisfied hum. But even in this cocoon of safety and warmth, she couldn't stop the rush of tears and they spilled haphazardly, soaking the shoulder of her beloved invalid.

"Hey, oh no. No, Lena, it's okay. I'm okay." Kara cooed a string of comforting words and stroked raven black hair, trying to soothe Lena's obvious agitation.

"I'm so, so sorry Kara." Her body started shaking slightly, wracked as it was with her sobbing. "This was all my fault."

Kara hesitated then pushed herself up onto her elbows in one fluid motion. "Lena, I need you to listen to me. None of this, none of it was your fault, okay?" Kara sighed inwardly as Lena worried her lower lip, tears still streaming from her icy green eyes. Even in the midst of all this emotion, she still managed to make Kara's heart flutter.

"There are two parties responsible," she continued, "your brother and Cadmus. That's it. I mean, I don't even really blame that tracker, since it was just a tool being used by those stupid boys. And why would they even use an alien in the first place if they hate them so much? By all accounts it doesn't make sense," Kara stopped herself from veering too far off her point, "but I digress. You, my love, are blameless."

"It doesn't feel like that. It feels like you're in this bed because I betrayed my brother."

"If you hadn't you would've been with those boys trying to attack me and the other aliens, or worse, with Lex on cell block X. Wait, do they have a cell block X in the women's prison?"

The dark-haired woman laughed at this – a confused, wet sound – and Kara settled back down, reaching up to catch a tear before it cut a trail down Lena's pale cheek. "I would never do anything to hurt you, please know that." Lena curled more tightly into Kara's side, careful to avoid the bandages above her left hip.

"And you haven't." Kara kissed her lightly on the forehead and squeezed her lightly. "And now, I suppose it's my turn to apologize."

"Why?" Lena pulled back a bit, obviously surprised, "For what?"

"For not telling you sooner," Kara allowed a small smile to break across her face, "about my moonlighting gig. You're here in the DEO and don't seem particularly surprised, or maybe you're just taking it incredibly well."

"Kara Danvers," Lena fired back, haughtily, "if you think I can't recognize my own girlfriend when she changes her clothes and puts on a hood, then I'm mildly offended. More than mildly offended!"

"I covered my face!"

"But you didn't hide your eyes, darling." Lena tone was honeyed and warm as she shifted a bit to hover over Kara's reclining figure. Her ink-black hair hung in a curtain and she wove lithe fingers through the lightly waving blonde tresses at Kara's temple. "I'd know them anywhere."

Kara smiled dumbly and arched up to capture Lena's lips in a sweet, simple kiss. "So you knew the whole time?"

"The whole time."

"So that first night, when you flirted with me at the promenade, you knew then?" the wheels were slowly turning in Kara's mind.

"I did." At this, Kara pouted outright, and Lena continued "Come on, I couldn't resist having a bit of fun with you. I'd just discovered the girl I was falling for was Supergirl!"

"Mean." Kara retorted in mock hurt, suppressing a smile. In one swift motion, she cradled Lena and turned so their positions were suddenly reversed, Kara hovering over the youngest Luthor with a vaguely hungry look in her eye. "I suppose I'll have to get you back for that."

"I suppose you will." Lena gazed up at the blonde heroine and her breathing became ragged and shallow at the mere sight of her. She wondered if Kara could hear the way her heart suddenly came to life, rattling against her ribs. Despite the time spent languishing in this lab, Kara was, admittedly, radiant. Her hair fell in soft waves, her lips were a rosy shade of pink; even the lashes around her clear eyes seemed longer as they fluttered shyly. And perhaps it was a bi-product of the sun lamps, but Lena was almost positive the girl's skin was slightly luminescent. "How is that fair?" she asked as she brought a hand up to stroke along Kara's strong jaw."

"How is what fair?"

"I'm one hundred percent sure I look a mess, having waited here, worrying, getting little sleep – in the DEO sweats your sister brought me – and here you are," Lena pushed back blonde hair and drew Kara's lips down to hers for the briefest moment before continuing, "looking like the sweetest dream I've ever had. How is that fair? How is it even possible?"

"Easy," Kara lowered her lips again, bringing them close to Lena's ear, "I'm an alien."

Lena laughed, that light and airy sound – like a crystal bell – and Kara couldn't resist kissing the sound from her lips. She lowered herself down, their bodies again fitting together like a lock and key and it wasn't long before innocent kissing had sparked the fire of longing within her. She felt the tangle of hands in her hair and found her own fingers playing along the hem of Lena's shirt, slipping underneath to feel the soft skin it covered. She ran her tongue lightly along Lena's bottom lip and was just about to taste the sweetness of her mouth when a voice called from over her shoulder.

"Oh god!" Alex had walked into the room and clapped a hand quickly over her eyes. "Nope."

"Alex!" Kara twisted to look at her sister and almost fell off the edge of the bed, caught, thankfully, by a quick-thinking Lena Luthor. "For the love of Rao!"

Alex continued into the room, on hand still covering her eyes, the other waving before her, ensuring she didn't run into anything. "Kara, you're my little sister. I mean, I love you and want you to be happy but I cannot see this."

The two girls were laughing now as Kara grappled to find purchase back on the bed.

"Alex, it's alright, you can open your eyes." Lena called and shimmied to sit primly upright at the head of the bed as Kara did the same, leaning into her, purposefully.

"I'm fine like this, really." The redhead kept her hand clutched dramatically across her eyes.

"C'mon, Alex."

The agent lowered her hand and feigned disapproval through pursed, almost-smiling, lips. She sidled up to the edge of the bed and gave Kara a soft jab to the upper arm trying to convey through some, simple action that, despite that close call, she was happy for her. The blonde caught her arm and gave her hand a squeeze in answer and Alex sighed, content to speak without words for even a few seconds.

"I just came in to check and see if you were awake," Alex explained, eyebrows raised, "which you obviously are. Your vitals look good and your side is almost completely healed, so you don't need to hang around here for much longer." The agent, still clad head-to-toe in her military blacks, rocked back on her heels. "We're just waiting for your latest scans and as long as they check out, you're good to go."

Alex placed a hand on Kara's shoulder and the blonde reached to cover it with her own, happy in this moment, settled between the two women she cared for most.

"Thank you, Alex." Kara turned her face toward her sister attempting to convey her most sincere gratitude.

"Oh. It was nothing, I didn't do much." Alex ran a cursory hand through her hair and tried to casually deflect the thanks.

"It wasn't nothing." Kara subtly indicated the woman tucked into her side. "It was everything."

Alex nodded and squeezed Kara's shoulder lightly.

"Oh gosh! What did you tell Maggie?" Kara's eyes went a bit wide.

"What do you mean 'what did I tell her?' She was right there, slugging it out with me!" Alex crossed her arms across her chest and chuckled lightly.

"She has a rather impressive right hook. I thought she was going to break that boy's jaw!" Lena chimed in.

"Oh she did. He had to have it wired shut." Alex laughed and her eyes took on a soft-focused quality that made Kara's face split into a wide grin. She couldn't remember ever seeing her sister quite so smitten and it warmed her heart. She cleared her throat a bit and paused before continuing.

"You should tell her Alex." Kara's face adopted a kind-but-serious shade. "About me, I mean. If you want to."

Alex's eyebrows shot up once more and she started. "Kara, I don't think – "

"She's important, Alex."

"You don't have to tell me that, but – " The redhead grappled with words.

"No secrets." Kara said, quietly. "You just figured out a big truth about yourself and took a big risk. Give yourself the best possible chance at making it work." Kara paused and Alex fidgeted, unsure of what to do with her hands in the face of such naked honesty. "She was there for you, for us. She's one of the good ones, Alex. If you trust her, then trust her."

Alex stalled for a moment, spinning out, before rushing her sister and gathering her, gently, in her arms.

"You know that works both ways though, right?" The older Danvers sister offered, drawing back and smoothing her shirt.

"What?"

"No secrets." Alex's hands were on her hips now, though rather than staring Kara down, she was bouncing slightly.

Kara felt a shift next to her and realized Lena was uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken, as it involved her. She wrapped an arm around the dark haired woman and started to press slow soothing circles into her back.

"You're right. I owe you an apology." She turned slightly and faced Lena for a moment, "Both of you."

"Alex, you are the most important person in my life and I didn't want to do anything to lessen the significance of what you were discovering about yourself. I'm so thankful you found Maggie and that she helped you find yourself." Kara paused, thoughtfully, "I'm so, so happy for you and I hope you understand and can be happy for me too."

Kara shifted slightly to face Lena, now. "And Lena, I kept you a secret from my sister, partly for her and partly for me. I am so scared of what it means to be with you, to be with anyone but especially you." Lena knit her brow, her eyes darkening a bit, "Not because you're a Luthor."

Alex chuffed a bit and Kara shot her a silencing stare before continuing.

"But because I just – I like you so much and I just wanted a bit of time to be selfish, to keep you to myself and test the waters until I wasn't so scared."

Lena brought her hand up to brush back the perfect waves of blonde hair from Kara's face, a gesture so familiar Kara couldn't help but lean into it. "And are you?"

"Am I what?" Kara seemed to have lost the thread of conversation for a brief moment and Alex smirked to herself, tickled to see her sister so thoroughly... gone over this girl.

"Are you still scared?" Lena threaded her fingers into Kara's curls.

"No." Kara leaned in and pressed her forehead to Lena's pulling level with icy green eyes.

"OKAY, THAT'S MY CUE!" Alex shouted uncomfortably and made an abrupt about-face, heading for the door. "I'll be back later with your scans."

Kara waved her off absent-mindedly and leaned in to close the distance and capture Lena's lips in a soft kiss. The first of many.


End file.
